It is here we go again for online retail conglomerate Amazon’s attempts at establishing a sustainable drone logistics network in the United Kingdom.
The online retailer is one of six companies that have received the UK Civil Aviation Authority greenlight to test the integration of drone technology in industries that applications that include deliveries, inspections of infrastructure, emergency services and flights to remote locations.
“The regulator has chosen the trials to take place that will help safely integrate drones flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their operator into UK airspace, helping to make this vital extension to drone flying an everyday reality,” the CAA said in a statement.
“BVLOS flights will be carried out at distances beyond the flyer’s ability to see the drone. These flights use advanced technologies for navigation, control and to detect other aircraft.”
Besides Amazon, the other companies to receive the trial licences are:
Airspection
Airspection is an inspection service for wind turbine operators who want to improve the reliability and safety of their turbines while reducing operation costs. Reportedly supported by a world leading offshore wind developer, this project aims to develop scalable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations for offshore wind farms to enhance safety, reliability and environmental impact.
The project will be trialled at an offshore wind farm and will serve as the foundation for remote drone services in this industry, reducing the need for vessels, minimising carbon emissions, and supporting the expansion of the UK offshore energy industry.
National Police Air Service (NPAS)
The NPAS’s ambition is to fly an uncrewed aircraft, beyond visual line of sight, over a six-month period, in an environment that is representative of where NPAS crewed aircraft would be tasked.
It will look to test, and verify, not only the payload capabilities, which are identical to the performance of our crewed aircraft, but also validate the onboard DAA capabilities. This will allow NPAS to understand better what future air support capabilities it could adopt.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS)
Looking to try BVLOS inspections over the North Sea, NATS Services is aligned with the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy and is committed to working towards an airspace that’s safe and integrated for all users.
In support of this ambition, NATS will be working with the CAA, Flylogix and wider partners to enable this pioneering project over the North Sea.
Project SATE
The Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) intends to develop a trial airspace test environment, the Trial Orkney Test Zone, and will test integrated manned and unmanned aircraft operations from Kirkwall Airport.
The test zone will be specifically designed to enable a wide range of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials and operations in unsegregated Class G airspace.
It will demonstrate the feasibility of operating a drone Hub-and-Spoke route network within unsegregated airspace based on integrated operations from Kirkwall airport (the hub) to the spokes around Orkney Island Council airfields and across the Orkney archipelago.
Consortium partner Highland and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) will lead the project in conjunction with fellow partner Windracers. HIAL has experience in airspace management, air traffic service provision and airport operations and Windracers bring their medium-lift long range Ultra drone in BVLOS trials in diverse environments.
Project Lifeline
The initiative is driven by the expertise of Air Ambulance Charity KSS, Everdrone, Altitude Angel, NATS, and London Gatwick Airport, each contributing to the advancement of drone technology and airspace integration.
The Everdrone system, already successfully utilized in live operations across Sweden, now brings its proven life-saving capabilities to the UK through these crucial trials.
The LifeLine project will provide the key to the possibility of using drones for emergency medical services, delivering critical medical equipment — such as defibrillators (AEDs), EPI pens, and anti-bleeding kits — faster than ever before. The project also enhances first responders’ effectiveness by providing live camera feeds, which significantly improve situational awareness and decision-making during emergencies.
For their part, Amazon’s Prime Air trials will gather key safety data, such as how drones detect and avoid other aircraft, the electronic signals they can send to be able to be visible to other airspace users and air traffic control.
This will support the regulator’s ongoing development of policy and regulations so that drone flights can be fully integrated with other airspace users.
“These innovative trials mark a significant step forward in integrating drones safely into UK airspace,” Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said.
“By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to shape future policies and regulations.
“Our goal is to make drone operations beyond visual line of sight a safe and everyday reality, contributing to the modernisation of UK airspace and the incorporation of new technology into our skies.”
The six companies were chosen after the CAA invited organisations to bid to participate in an innovation sandbox to validate and test their concepts, supporting the development of BVLOS capabilities.
Innovation sandboxes are controlled environments where organisations can test and further develop their new technology against the regulatory framework, helping applicants maximise the readiness of their innovation, and also help the UK Civil Aviation Authority better evolve regulations to better support both innovators and existing users.
The BVLOS sandbox is part of a collaboration with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) that is supporting the creation of the aviation ecosystem needed to accelerate the introduction of advanced air mobility (AAM), drones, and electric sub-regional aircraft in the UK.