"The British government is splashing several million pounds on next-gen aviation projects to advance the use of unmanned aircraft for applications such as cargo delivery and infrastructure monitoring, as well as potential electric-powered light aircraft carrying passengers. Detailed by the Department for Transport but paid out by Innovate UK, part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body, £4.4 million ($5.9 million) is being invested under the government's Future Flight Program, aimed at building British skills in drones and unmanned aircraft systems."
"Advanced Logistics BVLOS UAV Mission (ALBUM) is typical of many of the projects: testing out a large uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, working with the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership. The goal of this is to support medical transportation in remote areas, such as the Scottish Highlands and Islands, based on a cargo drone built by ARC Aerosystems that, we're told, is capable of carrying a 100 kg payload over distances of up to 400 km."
"Similar projects in Innovate UK's portfolio include "Dragon's Heart," which aims to start up a medical drone delivery network (MDDN) in Wales to boost NHS operational flexibility in the region. The London Health Bridge Growth is an expansion of an existing medical drone delivery service trial, designed to scale up its operations from 1,000 to 50,000 deliveries per month for high-priority pathology samples between the hospital lab"
£4.4 million has been allocated to 14 Future Flight projects to build British skills in drones and unmanned aircraft systems, with funding managed by Innovate UK and detailed by the Department for Transport. Projects target cargo delivery, medical transport, emergency services, nature restoration, and potential electric-powered light passenger aircraft. Eight projects are designated for strategic growth to demonstrate commercialization pathways. Examples include ALBUM testing BVLOS cargo drone operations in the Scottish Highlands capable of carrying 100 kg up to 400 km, Dragon's Heart to create a Wales medical drone delivery network, and London Health Bridge Growth scaling pathology sample deliveries.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]