Solent Drones for Medical Logistics

This project is researching how drones could be used to make medical logistics in the Solent area more efficient for the NHS; aiming to improve health outcomes and the quality of residents’ lives.

• We will learn whether the use of drones offers a faster, on-demand delivery system for time sensitive cancer medicine and other items, such as swabs, blood tests, vaccines, PPE, test kits, testing reagents and blood units to be transported between the two hospitals.   

• A key part of ensuring a faster on-demand delivery service will be the trial and use of safe and reliable delivery protocols by multiple operators and users within the dedicated airspace.  

• We will learn various risk mitigation methods for a future of shared airspace 

• Drone vibration results will be used to compare against current logistics solutions such as vans to help us understand whether there is a risk to the quality of medicines from drone vibration during flight. 

• We will learn whether we are able to detect non-cooperative air traffic i.e. that don’t have ADS-B transponders which announce themselves to general aviation.   

• Sustainability improvements will be measured. 

• Emergency, urgent and time sensitive medical deliveries could be quicker and more reliable. 

• Hospitals could get test results quicker and give medicines to patients more quickly, saving lives. 

• Better understanding of how drones could be integrated into the NHS supply chain. 

• If drone deliveries become common place, they could contribute to reduced congestion and emissions.

• Better understanding of the risks of regular drone flights taking place in airspace shared with other aircraft. 

• Long-term, the development of local skills and knowledge in this area should enable the Solent area to become a centre of excellence in the rapidly developing drones’ sector. 

• Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) is a term used in drone operations that refers to flying a drone outside the pilot’s direct line of sight. In contrast to Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), where the operator can see the drone without the aid of binoculars, cameras, or other visual aids, BVLOS operations allow drones to travel much farther — often used for tasks like: 

• • Long-distance infrastructure inspections (e.g., pipelines, power lines) 

• • Agricultural monitoring over large fields 

• • Search and rescue missions 

• • Delivery services (e.g., medical supplies or packages) 

The Solent area between Southsea, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight headland. 

For a total of 7 weeks between June and August 2025. The exact dates are dependent on factors such as weather and trial progress. 

In the UK, drone flights are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The rules are designed to keep people, property, and other aircraft safe. In the UK, to get CAA authorisation for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights, you must meet strict requirements because BVLOS operations pose increased safety and airspace integration risks.  

The submission of an application called an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP), together with an Operational Safety Case that outlines the formal risk and safety justification, was approved by the CAA. 

For further information, and to access the publicly available Airspace Change Proposal (ACP-2022-106) and associated documentation please click on the following link which can be found on the CAA website:  Airspace change proposal public view

The Solent FTZ and its partners place the highest importance on safety. 

As part of the process of submitting the Operating Safety Case to the CAA, there was a comprehensive review of the operational assessment and associated risks and responsibilities.  Operational and safety criteria assessed over the course of the review were found to be actively in place and functioning as intended. All the safety procedures and protocols have been documented and monitored for continuous improvement. For further information, and to access the publicly available documentation (ACP-2022-106), please visit the following link on the CAA website:  Airspace change proposal public view

As part of the BVLOS flight operations, an area of airspace has been successfully applied for and approved by the CAA. This means that a specific part of the sky over the Solent has been marked for flying drones for a short period of time.   

A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) will also be in place, and this serves as a real-time bulletin for pilots and drone operators and tells them about temporary changes or hazards in the sky i.e. such as our approved airspace to ensure that only our drone operators are flying in that airspace, except for emergency flights through the area as this was part of the airspace approval process. 

Our drones will have Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) which is a form of electronic conspicuity and allows our aircraft to determine its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts the aircraft’s position and other data, enabling it to be tracked. 

We also have an agreement in place with the blue light services and Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fly in the designated airspace during the time frame already specified.

Project partners and drone operators, Skylift UAV Ltd, will be operating the Beyond Visual Line of Sight trials with a combination of three vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones that have been given CAA approval as part of Skylift UAV Ltd operational authorisations.

Each drone model includes clearly defined weather operating parameters set by the manufacturer and weather checks will be completed both prior to and on the day of the flight operations.  Ultimately, a flight decision rests with the drone operators, Skylift UAV Ltd, who will inform the Solent FTZ of weather related decisions before they are taken.  The most likely conditions to prevent flying will be rain, mist/fog and wind conditions that fall outside the drone’s tolerances.  

For further information please contact: enquiries@solent-transport.com