As drones become more advanced, countries are implementing new rules. The UK has done so, requiring camera drones to be registered before taking to the sky. You will also be required to register your drone if it weighs 250 grams and above.
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The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) wants to produce a new fleet of cost-effective armed drones as it watched the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Defense officials have stated they believe using lower-cost Turkish drones played a crucial part in Azerbaijan tactics.
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A British military drone has, unfortunately, hit the ground during a recent test flight in the Middle Eastern country of Cyprus. The Watchkeeper WK450 drone is believed to have crashed during a training session back in October, which has just be made public by the Observer.
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Residents on the Scottish Isle of Mull will soon be consulted to see if they would be open to delivery drones flying in the sky. A drone trial is also expected to take place in the new year after a parcel was flown from the mainland to the island earlier this month.
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The British government is looking into introducing drone deliveries to rural areas to ensure they don’t fall behind the rest of the country when it comes to transport technology. Ministers are currently asking for suggestions on various ideas, including delivery and passenger drones.
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British drone provider COPTRZ has handed out a free DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual to the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team to advance its operations. The company is also giving out free online drone training for emergency services teams across the country.
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Network Rail has turned to drones and LiDAR to create a photo-realistic 3D scan of North Yorkshire’s Ribblehead viaduct in the UK to assist in the restoration of the iconic rail structure. The high-tech restoration is a part of Network Rail’s £2.1 ($2.8) million Great North Rail Project.
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Drones from the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) could be ready to hit the skies in six months, according to drone company Blue Bear. The company has also stated that it would take around an extra £5 ($6.6) million for a fleet of 20 drones.
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The British government has set aside £33 million (~$43 million) in funding to be spent on firefighting and COVID delivery drones as a part of a ground-breaking aviation project to solve major global challenges. So far, 20 winning ideas have been funded by the UK government.
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The new mini bug drone will be added to the UK Army’s tanks and other armored vehicles to gain access to enemy positions by blowing open doors with explosives. The drone is a part of the UK’s new investment in threat-driven military equipment.
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The United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) has turned to medical delivery drones to deliver COVID testing kits to hospitals. The drone delivery trial has been backed by the UK Space Agency, which has handed over £1.3 million or around $1.7 million.
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Britain’s latest drone, the Protector RG Mk1, has hit a major milestone by completing its first flight before its 2021 delivery date. The drone, internally known as GA-ASI, will be delivered to the UK Ministry of Defense and provide intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance support from above.
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Altitude Angel, a UK company that enables the safe integration and use of drones and UAVs into international airspace, has announced it will be creating the first Drone Zone in the Thames Valley west of London. It will be open to drones and manned aircraft. The company submitted the plans for the commercial drone corridor to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
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Australian Air Force pilots and contractors are being drafted by the UK‘s Royal Air Force to fly its armed reaper drones above Syria and Iraq due to a shortage of willing pilots. The shortage in pilots has been caused by the stress one undergoes when flying a killing machine.
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Wing Aviation has announced it has also joined the UK Department for Transport to accelerate the development of the country’s UTM framework. The UK is looking to build an open unmanned traffic management (UTM) framework, moving away from the one-provider solution it currently uses with manned aircraft.
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Altitude Angel has announced a new partnership with Skyfarer, FlyPulse, and Coventry University to develop a drone delivery corridor in the Midlands, UK. The four have joined together to create an international consortium to enable medical & other deliveries via drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
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For the last 18 months, Aerodyne and PwC have been demonstrating the benefits of using drone-based assets for inspections with UK’s leading port owner and operator, Associated British Ports (ABP). The lengthy demonstration has resulted in ABP implementing the drone technology into its asset management practices.
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Skyports has partnered with Vodafone and Deloitte with funding from the UK and European Space Agency to deliver medical supplies and samples by drone to the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland.
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Firefighters were called to a sinking boat at Glasson Dock Marina in Lancaster, UK early on June 23rd with the job of containing its leaking fuel. The firefighters along with a hazmat unit, boat unit, and aerial unit all worked to limit the environmental impact.
An man in Blackburn, England, got a massive surprise when the EHang Ghostdrone 2.0’s battery he put on charge exploded within an hour of being plugged in. The man noticed the power went out in the house and went to investigate, and found the drone on fire in the living room.
The West Midlands Police‘s Walsall Taskforce has taken down a weed operation running out of an unused pub in Willenhall town center last week, seeing more than $600,000 worth of weed during the raid. The task force used a drone with a thermal camera to see hotspots within the building.
While flying a mission to find a man on the lam, Devon and Cornwall Police drone operators came across an unusual piece of artwork that had been cut into a field to resemble a familiar shape.
The UK government is trying to get people out of cars and use different means of transportation such as electric scooters. Medical drones are also being looked at to help reduce congestion.
