Amazon and UK partner to test deliveries by drone
On Monday, retail giant Amazon announced a partnership with the United Kingdom and its Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to research the best techniques when delivering small packages by unmanned aircraft systems. The testing will be conducted in an effort to get Amazon’s futuristic Prime Air drone delivery service off the ground.
The U.K. government and Amazon will test UAS for beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban areas, sensor performance to see how UAS manage detecting and avoiding objects, and the ability for one person to monitor more than one drone flight at a time.
The Federal Aviation Administration in the United States currently largely forbids beyond-line-of-sight flights as well as multiple UAS control, although it is establishing a waiver process that could be used to enable them. However, the U.K. has said it wants to have extensive UAS operations up and running by 2020, an attractive proposition for Amazon, which has been stymied by domestic flight rules.
Once testing is complete, safety guidelines will be developed to ensure the safest procedures for future UAS used to make deliveries.
In a press release published by Amazon on Monday, Vice President of Global Innovation Policy and Communications Paul Misener talked about how delivery by UAS could be beneficial for all parties involved.
“Using small drones for the delivery of parcels will improve customer experience, create new jobs in a rapidly growing industry, and pioneer new sustainable delivery methods to meet future demand,” Misener said. He added that the relationship between Amazon and the U.K. will only be strengthened as the two work together to give customers around the world the most convenient shopping experience.
The goal of Amazon’s Prime Air service is to deliver small items to customers in 30 minutes or less. Successful completion of tests could mean that customers get this service like they’ll get their future packages: sooner rather than later.
