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| Amazon’s package delivery UAV. Photo: Amazon |
[Avionics Today 07-29-2016] Amazon has announced a partnership with the U.K. government to explore the steps needed to make the delivery of parcels by small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) a reality, allowing Amazon to trial new methods of testing its delivery systems.
A cross-government team supported by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has provided Amazon with permissions to explore three key innovations: Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) operations in rural and suburban areas, testing sensor performance to make sure the UAVs can identify and avoid obstacles, and flights where one person operates multiple highly-automated UAVs.
“This announcement strengthens our partnership with the U.K. and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the U.K. and elsewhere around the world,” said Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications.
The work aims to help Amazon and the government understand how UAVs can be used safely and reliably in the logistics industry. It will also help identify what operating rules and safety regulations the government will need to implement to help move the UAV industry forward.