The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized commercial UAV flights without visual observers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, marking a significant milestone in U.S. aviation. This authorization has been granted to Zipline International and Wing Aviation, enabling them to conduct package delivery operations using UAVs while sharing airspace with conventional aircraft.
The UAVs remain separated from manned aircraft using unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) technology, with rigorous FAA safety oversight. UTM services allow companies to share data and planned flight routes with other authorized airspace users, offering safe organization and management of UAV flights in shared airspace. All flights occur below 400 ft altitude and away from any crewed aircraft. The FAA expects initial flights using UTM services to begin in August 2024.
Typically, UAV operators must maintain visual line of sight with their aircraft. However, advancements in air traffic technology are paving the way for routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights. This authorization is the first time the FAA has recognized a third party to safely manage drone-to-drone interactions, a significant step towards integrating UAVs into the National Airspace System.
The FAA is working on the Normalizing UAV BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which aims to enable UAV operators to expand operations while maintaining high safety standards. The NPRM is expected to be released this year, following strong Congressional support in the recent FAA reauthorization.
Many have heard about efforts by Amazon to use UAVs for home delivery of orders within hours. Unfortunately, Amazon’s UAV trials have yet to be transitioned to “production” across the United States. Its website states that UAV deliveries are only available in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California.
Walmart is also in a trial phase of getting its rapid UAV delivery system working; however, its same-day UAV delivery is only servicing customers in the Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, and Dallas areas. Nevertheless, there are many other automated deliveries underway around the world for meals and product deliveries, especially in Asia.
One segment where UAV deliveries appear to have been successful for medical samples and medications, which are now being shipped regularly on time-sensitive routes by UAVs (and, of course, several trial deliveries of these items are still underway).
The EMED transport/courier service used extensively by the UK National Health Service took part in one of the most recent medical shipment trials — which recently wrapped up in UK — with more than 400 pathology samples being rapidly shipped by fixed-wing UAVs between two hospital sites.
Loading a UAV in a UK medical trial. (Image: ESA)
The UAV used in the EMED trial was a tried and tested Swoop Aero Kookaburra III fixed-wing aircraft with a 3kg payload that flies at 330 ft in segregated airspace.
In the United States, OhioHealth aims to use a proven medical delivery system supplied by Zipline. Its plans for delivery UAVs include rapid shipments between Ohio medical facilities and prescription delivery to patients. By 2025, OhioHealth predicts that more than two million people in the Columbus area could be served by the Zipline delivery system.
OhioHealth plans to use Zipline’s Platform 2 delivery UAV — a fixed-wing carrier UAV with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities able to autonomously hover and accurately lower a package-carrying “droid” into a tight delivery spot. The previous Zipline Platform 1 system drops packages by parachute, which requires a substantial area to receive deliveries. The “droid” has three directional fans that allow it to maneuver at the end of the tether to within six feet of the planned delivery point.
Over the last six years, Zipline has built up a whole fleet of Platform 1 aircraft and the complete infrastructure for its medical delivery operation in Rwanda.
In Rwanda, there was a need for different delivery methods to get medical supplies to hospitals, as communities are spread over large distances. Before bringing such a service to the United States, Zipline aimed to get a delivery service running, get experience, and de-bug and prove the system’s capabilities. Six years and half a million deliveries later, Zipline is now ready. For civil certification, the Federal Aviation Administration previously liked to see lots of evidence of established operational activity. Therefore, Zipline was fortunate to have six years of proven delivery activity in Rwanda when they looked to start up in the United States.
Platform 2 ‘droid’ containing a package is lowered on a tether from a hovering carrier drone. (Image: Zipline)
Zipline has also done everything needed to ensure the delivery process in Rwanda is as efficient as possible — from the order processing system, through packaging and loading into the UAV, a catapult launch system that accelerates the aircraft to climb-out speed, battery charging and exchange for each flight, autonomous navigation to the delivery point, parachute delivery at destination, autonomous return to base, and an automated capture system on arrival. As a result, it’s not unusual if a delivery can be dispatched within 90 seconds from receipt of an order.
The distances are large in Rwanda between where people are sick and where they can get help, and the necessary supplies may well be located elsewhere — at times, as much as 150 miles away. However, since Zipline deliveries became common, in-hospital maternal mortality rates have been reduced by 88% — quite an achievement. Each delivery that is dispatched really has the potential to save a life.
Now, Zipline has the potential to improve turn-round times for the health system in the United States. The company is ready to prove that the Platform 2 system makes very little noise because of specially designed propellers, that precise deliveries are possible, and it is even ready to take on regular parcel deliveries without being limited to only medical shipments.
Hopefully, some of the big retail organizations will be willing to watch, listen, trial and eventually bring the proven Zipline delivery system into their operations. There is much work to do to bring about regular UAV deliveries, but with a proven track record in Rwanda, the odds favor a successful outcome in the United States.
Two Walmart locations in Utah, one in Lindon and one in Herriman, are now providing UAV delivery for customers nearby. Walmart has UAV deliveries operated by DroneUp, Flytrex and Zipline at 36 stores in the United States.
For a $3.99 fee, customers within a mile of the stores can receive their groceries via UAVs. The two Walmart locations in Utah can deliver more than 120 times per day and each UAV can carry up to 10 pounds. The hubs for deliveries are in the parking lots of each Walmart location and are operated by Federal Aviation Administration-certified pilots.
Walmart is using UAV delivery in seven states, including Florida, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas. The most common products delivered include ice cream, lemons, rotisserie chicken, Red Bull and paper towels, according to Walmart.
Walmart drone deliveries launched in October 2019 in Arkansas. In 2022, Walmart completed more than 6,000 deliveries across all 36 participating locations.
“Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.
Screenshot: PATS Indoor Drone Solutions video
Seeking out (tiny) aerial threats
Palm-sized drones are eliminating greenhouse pests in the Netherlands, reports the Associated Press. The drones seek out and destroy moths that produce crop-eating caterpillars. Tech startup PATS Indoor Drone Solutions uses drones as greenhouse sentinels. Cameras scan the airspace, and then steer the drones to fly into moths, destroying them in midair. The drone control system can distinguish between good and bad insects. The system is the brainchild of former students from the Delft University of Technology.
Photo: Skydio
Coming soon to a police department near you
Drone-maker Skydio claims to be shipping the most advanced artificial intelligence-powered drone ever built, reports Forbes. The Skydio X2 is scheduled to launch later this year. The quadcopter reportedly can latch onto targets and follow them, dodging all sorts of obstacles and capturing everything on high-quality video. It can fly in tight, tactical situations, such as inside buildings or through a forest. Skydio claims its software can even predict a target’s next move, whether pedestrian or vehicle. American-made, the Skydio is popular with police departments and is often used for defense.
The Loyal Wingman in its first test flight. (Photo: U.S. Air Force 88th Air Wing Public Affairs)
Fighter jets to get a sidekick
A military drone that will accompany fighter jets into combat flew its maiden voyage at the end of February. The Loyal Wingman, designed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), uses artificial intelligence to target enemies. The Loyal Wingman is about the same size as the F-35 jet it will fly alongside. It has a range of 3,700 kilometers. The plane was flown from the ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex in the outback. The RAAF plans to buy three of the drones.
Photo: Zipline
COVID-19 vaccinations air-dropped in Ghana
Ghana has launched a nationwide program that uses Zipline drones to deliver coronavirus vaccines to rural communities. Deliveries began March 2 under the COVAX program of the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to provide poorer countries with enough doses to cover 20% of their populations. Zipline has been delivering medical supplies (blood, personal protective equipment, vaccines) since 2016 using its patented, autonomous drones.
Walmart is teaming up with drone delivery company Zipline to launch a drone delivery operation in the United States. According to Walmart, this first-of-its-kind drone delivery service will make on-demand deliveries of select health and wellness products with the potential to expand to general merchandise.
Trial deliveries will take place near Walmart’s headquarters in Northwest Arkansas. The trials will use Zipline’s proprietary technology.
Zipline will operate from a Walmart store and can service a 50-mile radius, Walmart said. The company’s launch-and-release system allows for quick on-demand deliveries in under an hour, and it also eliminates carbon emissions, Walmart added.
Zipline began operating in 2016 in Rwanda, primarily focusing on the on-demand delivery of medical supplies. According to Zipline, it has safely delivered more than 200,000 critical medical products to thousands of health facilities serving more than 20 million people across multiple countries.
The operation will likely begin in early 2021, Walmart said.
A drone-versus-piloted attack aircraft, deliveries of medical supplies in North Carolina, unmanned meal deliveries in India and anti-drone protection for the Kennedy Space Complex are just a small sample of unmanned air vehicle news this month.
Even the U.K. BBC TV network picked up the news over the weekend that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) plans to pit an unmanned drone against a manned fighter aircraft, maybe even as early as July next year. The candidate fighter drone is thought to come from the USAF’s “Skyborg” research program — a wide ranging initiative aimed at incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into unmanned vehicles which can out-think and out-fight the opposition.
The logic seems to be that if you could somehow ‘can’ all the experience of today’s pilots – somehow distill all their knowledge and stuff it into electronic memory and have AI use this data-base – then an unmanned fighter drone would somehow do better in combat against a hostile, manned aircraft. Probably a good idea, but how could it be made to work?
The Loyal Wingman in its first test flight. (Photo: U.S. Air Force 88th Air Wing Public Affairs)
And the prime candidate to try all this is out could be the “Loyal Wingman” which was recently rolled out by its manufacturer Kratos. With a target price-tag of only $2 million each (for qty 100), USAF apparently foresees a future with lots of these “disposable’”guys accompanying the manned F-18, F-35, F-22 and future fighters into battle. Perhaps the airborne pilot could even coach his unmanned colleagues through an upcoming dogfight, augmenting the onboard knowledge carried by the drone? Seriously Si-Fi sounding stuff, but its apparently already well on its way.
And would current day autonomous drone operations count as using AI? Well such a drone uses a GNSS nav system and an operator pre-programs a route prior to launch, which the drone then refers to when airborne — even dropping off a package on cue when it arrives at destination, and turning round to fly the same route back home. So referring to an on-board waypoint data-base and executing a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight on its own — its somewhat limited AI, but the drone is independently doing a task once instructed.
Which brings us to the recent pandemic-related operations that operator Zipline has just begun running out of Kannapolis, North Carolina – from a vacant lot near a Novant Health logistics center — to the Huntersville Medical Center. With only regular capability to operate in accordance with Part 107 regulations, Zipline applied for a waiver to not only fly around population centers, but also to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted emergency authorization for Zipline to support Novant’s hospital and clinic COVID-19 response.
Fortunately, Zipline is coming off over four years of proven medical drone delivery operations in Rwanda and Ghana, so they have very credible capability to perform similar deliveries in North Caroline. Its possible that FAA took this excellent operational record into account in granting this Zipline waiver.
Nevertheless, Novant and Zipline plan to continue with their efforts to gain full FAA Part 135 authorization to regularly operate this medical package delivery service to Hospitals and Clinics in North Carolina. Meanwhile, this first of a kind long-range BVLOS service in the U.S. will continue to gather more airborne miles each day and demonstrate good confidence in safety and reliability. With over 1.8 million miles already flown during their African medical delivery service, Zipline is apparently coming from an established baseline capability.
In India — a country which has been testing drone services for the express deliveries of food to people’s homes — looks like they are ready to see if drones can be given the OK to operate all the time. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorized a consortium of 13 companies to test drones flying BVLOS over longer distances to complete deliveries. DGCA apparently may have also been motivated to speed up shipments during the COVID-19 pandemic and SpiceXpress, one of the consortium members, will initially focus on delivering medical emergency/essential supplies after the trials are complete.
But overall, the objective for most consortium members is to get approval for meal deliveries by drone to become common practice in India. This will depend on the reports which the trial participants are required to submit to Airport Authority of India by September 30, 2020 from at least 100 hours of flight operations — hopefully without any serious incidents.
Not sure if everyone watched the SpaceX/NASA Demo-2 launch of the manned Dragon capsule on May 30, but I was glued to the NASA TV broadcast throughout. A truly significant event with not only a manned launch to the ISS by a commercial company, but a launch from Kennedy Space Center pad 39A — the first in nine years from U.S. soil.
Turns out we managed to get a ‘drone’ angle into the launch — or actually an absence of pesky drone interlopers at the launch site. Kennedy has been operating an anti-drone system for several previous launches — detecting and alerting any drone activity within the restricted airspace volume around pads 39A &B.
A mobile, all-weather Moog “Gauntlet” detection/alert system has been deployed for some time at Kennedy, watching for anything drone like within the confines of the launch area. The system is apparently visual, records evidence and provides alert indications over a secure VPN network, presumably to launch control and Kennedy security.
So this month we have news of a potential UAV-manned aircraft showdown, long-range drone deliveries of medical supplies in the U.S., Indian delivery drone qualification, and a drone detection system in use to protect the recent SpaceX crewed launch to the ISS. There is a lot going on, with high levels of complexity and good news in the fight against the pandemic for at least one hospital group in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is working with public and private partners to launch three projects using drones to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts. According to NCDOT, the initiative will be launched in May.
For the first project, Novant Health and Zipline are proposing to deliver personal protective equipment and other medical equipment across Novant Health’s medical campuses in the Charlotte area.
For the second project, UPS Flight Forward and Matternet are proposing to work with a Winston-Salem hospital on an operation to use drones to take healthcare equipment, medicine and personal protective equipment to medical providers. UPS Flight Forward, which earned the necessary federal certifications to operate a drone airline, has an ongoing drone delivery service at WakeMed’s main campus in Raleigh, NCDOT said.
Finally, for the third project, Flytrex is proposing to deliver food from multiple restaurants in a shopping center to neighborhoods in the Holly Springs area.
The first two programs are aimed at reducing the strain on medical supply chains, and the third will make it easier for people to follow the stay-at-home order. According to NCDOT, officials will use data collected during the project to determine how this technology can be used in other areas of the country.
“North Carolina has been a leader in demonstrating how drones can help people in times of crisis,” said State Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. “We look forward to putting this technology into productive use as we work to help citizens and medical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Funding for the individual drone missions is coming from private partners, while NCODT is coordinating the initiative.
