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Vertical gets $10 million UK state eVTOL funding, reflecting big national stakes in eVTOL activity

Vertical eVTOL air taxi

Emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft used in air taxi transportation will generate billions of dollars in new activity – a major new boost to national economies that governments don’t want foreign companies to dominate. The most recent example of that defensive reflex of local aerial markets comes from the UK, where national hero Vertical Aerospace has received an additional $10.5 million in state support.

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Open Skies Cornwall trials flights to prepare ship-to-shore drone activities

Cornwall drone

A barrage of aerial and ground infrastructure trials have been held this month by the UK’s Open Skies Cornwall consortium, which is seeking to organize airspace into which regular UAV activities – including ship-to-shore operations – can be integrated above and around Falmouth Harbour, and enable future ship-to-shore and other operations. 

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Skyports’ Orkney interisland service for Royal Mail paused after rare drone incident [Update]

Royal Mail Skyports drone

What at its launch was hailed as the UK’s first permanent UAV postal delivery operation has been temporarily suspended after a Skyports Drone Services craft encountered a technical glitch, leading an observer to abort a routine mission linking Orkney Islands destinations for the Royal Mail.

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New UK law uses old, no-tech methods against contraband drone drops to prisons

UK drones prisons contraband

Authorities in the UK are seeking to battle what they decry as increasing drone deliveries of contraband to prisons in a manner that hasn’t been terribly effective in other countries before: passing new legislation to broaden bans on what’s already illegal activity, rather than investing in the specialized detection and mitigation tech required to detect and neutralize invasive UAVs en route to jails.

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UK study of police drones urges creation of national rules on use and data security practices

Russia FPV drones Ukraine

It’s no secret that UK police have been energetic and innovative adopters of drone technology in public service, law enforcement, and first responder activity, but a recent survey suggests those forces need to do a better job in assuring security of their UAVs and the data they collect.

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Medical drone delivery trial’s airspace restriction sparks UK dispute

Drone delivery medical

As an additional reminder that you can’t make everyone happy – especially in this divided, frequently infuriated world – a UK medical drone delivery project has come under considerable fire for its efforts to seek prolonged flight restrictions across an expanse of airspace that locals say would effectively shut down local air traffic.

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UK tabloid blames drone in 9.7K-foot ‘near-miss’ with jet that (horror!) royals have used

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Extending a recent series of media stories about close-call aircraft-UAV incidents that’ve been heavy on fear-generating speculation and lighter on supporting facts, a UK daily has raised alarms with its account of a Royal Air Force (RAF) jet used by VIP passengers that “came within 30ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone” – reasons for seriously questioning the threatening object identified by crew notwithstanding.

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