Jersey selected for £3.7m drone technology trial

Wednesday 20 July 2022

Jersey has been chosen as the testbed for a £3.7m project that could lead the way for autonomous flights.

The UK Government-funded Agile Integrated Airspace System (ALIAS) programme will see drones being used to test cutting-edge aircraft guidance technology aimed at making the skies safer for all aviation.

It is hoped that this will ultimately enable unmanned aircrafts to provide a better supply-chain and connectivity to the UK and Europe.

The funding for the project, which will make use of Jersey's 4G and 'Internet of Things' (IoT) networks, was announced earlier this week at Farnborough by Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.

Ports of Jersey and Digital Jersey are part of a nine-partner consortium working on the project led by UK start-up Volant Autonomy, a UK technology start-up.

Digital Jersey CEO, Tony Moretta said the project was a "great example" of 'Sandbox Jersey' in action - a strategy to encourage businesses to use the island as a place for testing new products and services.

"The infrastructure we offer and the ease with which we can connect Volant to the facilities, regulators, and services it needs, makes us the ideal location," he commented.

Mr Moretta claimed that the island would "benefit tremendously as end users".

"The project will see drone flight trials that will demonstrate the opportunities for us to use sustainable autonomous drone aircraft to help transport medical supplies, commercial cargo, and perhaps ultimately passengers at some point in the future," he said.

Pictured: Digital Jersey CEO, Tony Moretta.

Airport Director Robin MacRae said Ports of Jersey was "very excited to be part of a consortium involving such cutting-edge partners who are looking at such potentially game-changing technology."

Describing the ALIAS project as a "perfect fit", he said the project aligned with two of Ports' key business ambitions: to build connectivity and invest in the island's future.

Volant has developed three key products using their Deterministic Agile Risk Intelligence (DARI) technology, which enables safer flight through risk aware flight planning and increased pilot situational awareness, and mitigates against airborne collisions. The technology can be used to enhance safety for manned and unmanned aircraft.

Volant are developing the flight guidance technology for use cases such as unmanned logistics aircraft, which could see autonomous drones being used at low altitudes to transport items.

Volant was founded by three former University of Bath Professors, with specialisms in Aerospace Engineering, Dynamics and Control, and Robotics and Autonomy; and a former Boeing and RAF pilot, who all share a vision for autonomous flight.

Digital Jersey and Ports of Jersey will be hosting a public Q&A session in September, at the Digital Jersey Hub with the lead partners in the project Volant Autonomy.