Press Release: NSW’s First Drone Range

2nd Feb 2022

Bland Shire is Partnering with Flight Design to grow the Drone Industry in Central NSW. The Drone Range, to be operated by Flight Design will be located in three areas around West Wyalong. A recent meeting with significant stakeholders saw no opposition following a positive environmental study. It is NSW first Drone Range and Australia’s second drone range. The other being located in remote Northern Queensland.

Defence is an obvious winner here with a significant drone range in close proximity to Canberra and a reasonable distance from Sydney and Melbourne. The area will support both rotary bladed drones and winged drones, both small and large. The three ranges that are currently expected to be supported

• The Airport – for flying winged long distance drones
• A large lake with 20km x 10km range
• A 700 acre farm with radio facilities suitable for rotary blade drones and swarms.

The Drone Range facility is already open for business and its first customer is a Defence drone fight scheduled operating under Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA) rules from high altitude. Drone flights, with the correct approval, can be launched from high altitude balloons. Another range near Canberra is under consideration, but not expected to have the high altitude possibilities that the Flight Design range provides. Flight Design is open to a collaborative approach.

The Shire will benefit from a growth in drone support and sales. Making it the Centre of Excellence for drone and drone research for farms and business will increase the income to the region and open new opportunities from business. It is expected that Flight Design will directly employ a number of people such as the Drone Range Safety Officer and support staff. Flight design can also assist with both CASA or DASA approvals.

Our drone workshop at West Wyalong Airport can provide tools and mechanical support as well as a clean room. Flight Design is in discussion with the NSW Government for financial support to expand its services and provide competitive infrastructure to that found at the remote Queensland site at Cloncurry QLD. The Queensland government provided about $13.5 million dollars to build the Cloncurry facilities. Flight Design’s West Wyalong site will be competing with the Queensland site. The test facilities around West Wyalong will also support Flight Designs own drone building and testing requirements. Flight Design is primarily building Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) drones for Defence purposes. The craft are expected to fly at 60,000 feet and be virtually invisible to enemy sensors.

Bland Shire and Flight Design Joint Press release follows:

For more information, please contact Robert Brand, R&D Manager Flight Design Pty Ltd 0448881101.

All photos on this release are available for publication with this story only.