Autonomous drone project secures funding from UKRI

By Sam Pither

19 July 2022

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Criminals are developing and adapting drones

A consortium led by Reading-based drone specialists Operational Systems Limited has secured funding from UK Research & Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge to accelerate the adoption of autonomous drones in high intensity environments.

Under current regulations, pilots operating drones must be able to see the aircraft with their naked eye. Project HADO is seeking to move toward a future where drones will be able to automatically select their mission and conduct their flight without direct human intervention.

Mark Legh-Smith, CEO at OSL, said: “Enabling autonomous beyond visual line of sight drone operations in intensely busy areas is key to unlocking drone-enabled economies and a future of smart airports and smart cities.

“We believe that HADO® is a unique project with potential to unlock significant commercial opportunities in the UK. We have drawn together an impressive consortium with the experience and expertise to achieve this ambitious goal and are excited to work with them to transform drone operations in this country.”

HADO will create a technical and regulatory enterprise to accelerate the commercial roll out of autonomous unmanned aerial systems in high intensity environments across the UK. It has the potential to unlock more autonomous drone capabilities and drive progress through a wide range of real-world use cases and applications.

The £13 million project led by OSL is one of the biggest in scale and ambition to secure partial funding from the Government’s Future Flight Challenge. It is expected to take 24 months, and will be delivered in collaboration with Heathrow Airport, Thales UK, Cranfield University, Dynamic Intelligence Solutions, Rinicom Intelligent Solutions, Carmenta, Herotech8, and UAVTek, and supported by the National Physical Laboratory, Ocuair, Nexus Nine, Cranfield Airport and Bird & Bird LLP as project subcontractors.

The final stage of the project will feature a four-month demonstration of autonomous drone operations at Heathrow.

Gary Cutts, Future Flight Challenge Director at UKRI, said: “There are lots of challenges that need to be overcome for us to safely integrate autonomous drones into our existing airspace.

“The information project HADO® gathers during its ambitious four-month trial, in the challenging environment of Heathrow, will be vital in helping the industry understand how we can resolve issues before we scale up further.”

Using Heathrow as a base, the 24-month programme will look to show that multiple drones can be safely and autonomously operated beyond visual line of site in one of the world’s busiest air spaces, navigating obstacles such as aircraft, wildlife, civilians, ground transportation, and other drones.

If successful, HADO has the potential to improve the global opinions of drone use. A negative and high-risk view of drones regularly leads to constrained piloted, line of sight operations which are inefficient and laborious. HADO hopes to show the range of possible future uses for drones including security, delivery and advanced air mobility.

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.