BETA-UAS and Drone-Hand Fly OMNIBE VTOL Drone for Cattle Monitoring in Northern Australia
- BETA-UAS
- Sep 6, 2025
- 4 min read
On 5 and 6 September 2025, BETA-UAS joined Drone-Hand PTY LTD at Kidman Springs Research Station in the Northern Territory, Australia, for a field activity focused on drone-based cattle monitoring.
For BETA-UAS, this was more than a product demonstration. It was a chance to bring Indonesian UAV technology into one of the most demanding livestock environments in the world, learn directly from local operators, and understand how long-range drone systems can support real cattle station operations.
The activity also marked an important milestone for BETA-UAS: the first time an Indonesian-assembled drone flew in Australian skies.
Bringing OMNIBE to Northern Australia
During the activity, BETA-UAS operated OMNIBE, an electric fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed and assembled in Indonesia. The platform was brought to Kidman Springs to explore how long-range drones can support wide-area livestock monitoring, aerial observation, and future autonomous data collection across remote cattle country.
Northern Australia presents a very different operating environment compared to Indonesia. The scale is massive, the landscape is open and remote, and field operations are shaped by distance, weather, communications, and the practical realities of working across large cattle stations.
That is exactly why this activity mattered.
It gave the BETA-UAS team a direct look at the conditions where drone technology needs to work, not only in controlled tests, but in real operational settings.
Learning from Cattle Station Operations
The BETA-UAS team had the opportunity to observe the Heli-Muster Australia team in action and better understand how aerial operations are currently used in northern Australian livestock management.
Helicopter mustering remains an important part of cattle operations in the region. The purpose of introducing drones is not to oversimplify that reality or claim that UAVs can immediately replace established methods. Instead, the focus is on identifying where drones can support and complement existing workflows.
For wide-area monitoring, drones such as OMNIBE may help operators scout remote areas, improve situational awareness, collect aerial data, and reduce the need for repeated manual checks in certain conditions. These are the kinds of practical use cases that can only be understood properly by spending time with the people who work in the field.
For BETA-UAS, the visit was as much about listening and learning as it was about flying.
Collaboration with Drone-Hand
The activity was made possible through collaboration with Drone-Hand PTY LTD, an Australian company developing drone-based solutions for livestock monitoring.
Drone-Hand brought local industry knowledge, livestock monitoring software, and a clear understanding of the challenges faced by cattle operators in Australia. BETA-UAS brought OMNIBE as a long-range VTOL drone platform designed for mapping, monitoring, and inspection missions.
Together, the collaboration creates a strong foundation for future work in drone-enabled livestock operations, combining UAV platform development with software, field knowledge, and real operational feedback.
Why VTOL Matters for Cattle Monitoring
OMNIBE is designed as a fixed-wing VTOL UAV, which means it can take off and land vertically without a runway while still benefiting from the efficiency of fixed-wing flight.
This configuration is especially relevant for remote area operations. In large cattle stations, access to proper takeoff and landing infrastructure is often limited. A VTOL system allows operators to deploy the aircraft from more flexible locations, while the fixed-wing design supports longer endurance and wider coverage compared to conventional multirotor drones.
For cattle monitoring, this balance between flexibility and coverage is critical.
A Milestone for Indonesian Drone Technology
Seeing OMNIBE fly in Australia was a meaningful step for BETA-UAS.
It represented years of development, field testing, and iteration by an Indonesian team building UAV systems for real industry use. Flying in Australia, especially in the demanding environment of the Northern Territory, gave the team valuable insight into how the platform should continue to evolve for international applications.
This milestone is not only about bringing a drone overseas. It is about proving that Indonesian-built UAV technology can enter global conversations, adapt to different environments, and contribute to solving real operational problems.
Moving Toward Practical Autonomous Livestock Monitoring
The future of livestock monitoring will not be shaped by hardware alone. It will depend on how aircraft, software, data, and field operations work together.
The experience at Kidman Springs gave BETA-UAS and Drone-Hand a clearer view of what needs to be developed next, from autonomous mission workflows and data capture methods to operational procedures that fit the realities of northern Australian cattle stations.
For BETA-UAS, this is part of a longer journey: building UAV systems that are not only technically capable, but also useful, adaptable, and relevant to the people who rely on them in the field.
Appreciation
BETA-UAS extends its appreciation to Drone-Hand PTY LTD, Heli-Muster Australia, the team at Kidman Springs Research Station, and Jacob Holmes for making this opportunity possible.
Moments like this are important because they bring technology closer to the real world. They allow us to listen, learn, and build better systems for the industries that need them most.
About OMNIBE
OMNIBE is an electric fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed by BETA-UAS for long-range mapping, monitoring, and inspection missions. Designed for flexible payload integration and wide-area operations, OMNIBE supports applications across agriculture, livestock, energy, infrastructure, mining, and environmental monitoring.
About BETA-UAS
BETA-UAS is an Indonesian unmanned aircraft systems company developing drone platforms and aerial data solutions for industrial, agricultural, infrastructure, and government applications. Through locally developed UAV technology, BETA-UAS aims to support more efficient, data-driven, and scalable field operations in Indonesia and international markets.
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