Double Gold: RocketDNA Australia & South Africa achieve highest BARS Program Audit Status

RocketDNA’s Australian and African entities have both achieved BARS Gold status after successfully completing the BARS Comprehensive Audit in 2025; the third consecutive audit for these companies since 2023.

What is BARS?

The Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) is an internationally recognised safety program and is a subsidiary initiative of the FlightSafety Foundation. The audit covers all flight and operational aspects of an aviation company – including flight operations, maintenance, ground-handling, personnel, aircraft and quality and safety systems.

It is one of the highest demonstrations and commitments to safety in the contracted aviation world.

Why is BARS so important?

Safety is at the heart of the BAR Standard, and with drone operations becoming increasingly widespread and complex, these types of audits are imperative to maintaining safe skies. The Standard draws on decades of safety practices learnt by the manned aviation space – a history often written in blood, but with critical lessons for every level of 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” explains 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!”

Who uses BARS?

Current BARS member organisations include some of the biggest corporations in the world, including BHP, South 32, Anglo American, Glencore, Newmont and Rio Tinto.

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.

RocketDNA Double BARS Gold Status

RocketDNA Australia and RocketDNA Africa completed the Flight Safety Foundation’s Comprehensive BARS Audit Stream in early 2025; this stream was selected by both companies to include their Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) activities, as well as the opportunity to move up levels in the system.