Drone services company RocketDNA’s Australian and African entities have both achieved BARS Gold status after successfully completing the Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) Comprehensive Audit in 2025; the third consecutive audit for these companies since they attained the status in 2023.

The company completed the Flight Safety Foundation’s Comprehensive BARS Audit Stream for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) early this year, in which it included its Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) activities, as well as the opportunity to move levels up the system.

The BARS is an internationally recognised safety program designed to provide organisations that engage contracted aircraft operators with a standard to assist in the risk-based management of aviation activities.

The standard is suited to any organisation that uses aircraft operators to provide contracted aviation support for their operations, particularly within remote and challenging environments.

One of the highest and most rigorous aviation safety checks in the world, BARS auditing covers all flight and operational aspects of an aviation company – including flight operations, maintenance, ground-handling, personnel, aircraft and quality and safety systems.

The latest gold standard achievement is a really big deal for RocketDNA, which has recognized that –with drone operations becoming increasingly widespread and complex – such regular tests are needed to maintain safe operations.

“We are incredibly pleased to receive the BARS Gold Status for operations in two countries; it is truly a reflection of the maturity of our safety systems” said RocketDNA CEO, Christopher Clark.

“The BARS Program has supported RocketDNA in the best way possible – giving us not only a goal to set our safety standards to, but to ensure that we have regular and robust oversight on our systems – which we always view as a good thing.”

A lot of the big mining behemoths – which include BHP, South 32, Anglo American, Glencore, Newmont and Rio Tinto – are members of the BARS, obviously brought together by their decades’ worth of safety practices gleaned from manned aviation space – a history often written in blood, but with critical lessons for every level of operations.

While RocketDNA already has existing operations with many of these companies, the assurance of adhering to the BAR Standard on this level creates serious confidence in the company’s systems and operations.

Obviously keen to spread these safety standards to more pilots, at least in South Africa, the company has launched a training course to enhance the piloting skills of drone-in-a-box systems.

“RocketDNA is proud to announce the launch of its Rocket Launch Automation Course,” the company said in a statement.

“This high-level offering is designed for professionals interested in incorporating Drone-in-a-Box systems into their operations or enhancing their understanding of these advanced technologies.

Whether you already hold a drone license or are leading a team that seeks to explore the possibilities of drone automation, this course provides unparalleled insights and expertise.”

The company further explained that the training course who be geared towards helping drone pilots gaining a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge solutions on drone nest operations, and empowering them to unlock new efficiencies and optimise operations in their industries.

“RocketDNA is committed to advancing automation and AI in the drone industry,” said Camron Pfafferott, MD RocketDNA Africa.

“This course offers professionals an opportunity to explore, understand, and integrate Drone-in-a-Box solutions into their operations with confidence and clarity.”

Key highlights for the course include participants gaining better experience in operating drone nest systems, data management and AI systems associated with drone docks.