UK government punts cash at drones and future flight tech • The Register
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.
The funding will go to 14 projects and will support areas such as the NHS, emergency services, and nature restoration, while Innovate UK describes eight as being for “strategic growth” to demonstrate progress towards commercialization.
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.
This example follows in the footsteps of Royal Mail, which launched the Orkney Islands I-Port drone delivery service using a Speedbird Aero DLV-2 multirotor drone a couple of years ago, as well as trials with a more substantial fixed-wing drone.
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 laboratories at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT).
Vertical Aerospace’s VX4
OXCAM AAM Corridor takes this a step further and is inteded to demonstrate the commercial and operational viability of passenger and cargo services between the cities of Oxford and Cambridge, using eVTOLs – electrically powered vertical-lift aircraft, specifically Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 aircraft, which appears to be piloted rather than uncrewed.
Meanwhile, Project URBAN ASCENT, based in Coventry and the West Midlands, will seek to address the challenges of integrating drones and air taxis into a complex urban environment, laying the foundations for future services such as the OXCAM AAM Corridor.
ALIAS II will demonstrate an Integrated Traffic Management (ITM) system that will let drones, air taxis, and traditional crewed aircraft operate together in the same airspace.
This uses a combination of simulations and real-world flight trials of an advanced Detect and Avoid capability at the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre.
“These ambitious new projects highlight the strength of the sector and its diverse applications, from reducing emissions, advancing healthcare delivery and protecting our environment,” said Simon Masters, Future Flight Program deputy challenge director.
Keir Mather, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport, said: “Investing in emerging technologies like drones and unmanned aircraft is key to build a greener and more efficient transport system. This tech will also save our public sector and businesses valuable time and cash whilst helping boost skills and support high-quality jobs across the country.” ®
