Trial run of delivering vaccines by drones

The Telangana government in India holds a trial run of delivering medicines and vaccines using drones. It is a part of state government’s ambitious ‘Medicine From The Sky’ project. On the first two days, the drones will be flying in the visual line of sight – between 500 and 700 metres from the base – and people present in the area will be able to see them with the naked eye.

From September 11 onwards, drone flights will take place Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) – for 9-10 km distances. These flights will be with consignments of vaccines, medical samples and other healthcare items, the statement further said.

BVLOS drone flights are those that go beyond 500-700 metres from the eye’s vision or beyond the visual line of sight. This will make Telangana the first state in the country to start trials of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of Covid-19 vaccines. www.hindustantimes.com

Draganfly and Alabama State University partnership

Draganfly Inc. has announced that it is expanding its partnership with Alabama State University (ASU) in a move to upgrade its Vital Intelligence Smart Vital Assessment Stations, and delivering its patented drone technology Varigard sanitizing spray for ASU’s annual Labor Day Classic football game.

ASU made history last year by becoming the first university in the United States to implement Draganfly’s safety system as part of the Safely Opening Schools Program, which provides an integrated health and screening protocol to be used campus-wide to screen, detect, assess, protect, and provide continuous action against the potential threat of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The Smart Vital system monitors, with voluntary consent, vital signs including but not limited to temperature, heart rate, breathing rate and blood oxygen content (SpO2 ). draganfly.com

Delta Drone International acquire Arvista

Delta Drone International has formally completed the acquisition of 60% of the shares in Perth-based provider of aerial and terrestrial surveying services, Arvista Pty Ltd (Arvista) as announced on 16 August 2021. The merger is a key milestone in DLT’s growth strategy and immediately provides the Group with a blue-chip Australian client base and access to a team of highly skilled professionals with the expertise to expand their skillset beyond surveying to include the full range of droneas- a-service operations Delta Drone International provides. www.dlti.com.au

Altitude Angel selected as UTM provider for Blue Dart India BVLOS

Altitude Angel announced that it has been selected by India-based air and integrated transportation & distribution company Blue Dart, to provide its services to Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations supported by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In May of this year the India Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) granted conditional exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules to the Government of Telangana for its ‘Medicine from the Sky Project’. Blue Dart Express is a part of the this initiative and has been selected as one of the consortiums to carry out vaccine delivery trials.

The project would include conducting trials over a period of six days with the findings helping the Govt. of Telangana to develop a framework for commercial deliveries by drone to be enabled in Waves 2 & 3 of the project. www.altitudeangel.com