Among those welcoming the expansion by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) of a trial which allows commercial drone operators to apply for fast authorisations to fly in controlled areas near airports is Elsight’s (ASX:ELS) Chief Executive Officer Yoav Amitai.
This month, CASA announced the Automated Airspace Authorisations Trial (AAAT) would be expanded to controlled areas at Broome, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Essendon, Hobart and Melbourne airports.
Elsight provides reliable connectivity for drones to have continuous communications with their ground control centres, thereby enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights.
“This trial is another positive step forward for the commercial drone industry in Australia,’’ Mr Amitai said.
Mr Amitai said regulatory restrictions on the use of commercial drones in populated areas remain a hurdle to enabling Australians to benefit from drone deliveries and other positive drone applications making the trial a step in the right direction.
The trial was originally launched by CASA and Airservices Australia in May 2021 and simplifies airspace access for eligible commercial drone operators by streamlining access to traditionally restricted areas, including within 3 nautical miles around some capital city airports and other locations.
Using historical data, CASA determines which areas within the 3 nautical mile restricted zone are safe for commercial drone flights. The restricted zone has a major impact in some cities like Adelaide and Canberra where the airports are close to the central business districts.
Prior to the commencement of the trail applications could take up to three weeks and cost A$800.
The CASA trial comes as Elsight’s customer DroneUp announced a major milestone in its drone delivery efforts in the United States, securing a Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which will allow DroneUp to deliver third party goods using drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) in populated areas.
DroneUp uses Elsight’s Halo connectivity platform which bonds multiple communications channels combining LTE, 5G, SatCom and RF communications to assure continuous uptime and connection between a drone (UAV or UAS) and the ground control systems even in areas with little cellular coverage.
Mr Amitai said Halo’s robust multi-link connectivity would enable the scaling up of drone flights necessary to support a predicted major increase in the number of drone deliveries in Australia and overseas over the next two decades.
“Complete connection confidence is a necessary component in flying beyond the visual line of sight for the navigation and safety of unmanned vehicles. In fact, our Halo system has already proven its reliability in extensive use cases around the world in what is known as beyond the of visual line of sight or BVLOS flights,’’ Mr Amitai said.
He said Halo has a role to play in the Australian drone industry because its complete connection confidence increased safety enabling scaling up of operations with one operator able to fly a fleet of drones at the same time from a central control centre.
Since the Australian automated authorisation trial started, more than 1,400 automated flight authorisations have been processed, saving industry more than $1.2 million in application fees.
About Elsight(ASX:ELS)
Elsight’s (www.elsight.com) flagship product, the Halo, uses AI-based multi-link bonding to provide the most robust connectivity for drones and other unmanned systems. By adding cellular communications aggregated with satellite and RF communications, the Halo is 99.99% reliable and cyber secured. With options for less than a 100-gram card or a boxed ground version, the Halo provides continuous connectivity even in the most challenging areas for stationary, portable, or actively mobile situational requirements. Elsight’s products serve many vertical markets leveraging UAV and UAS technologies including the military, HLS, public safety, delivery, medical, oil and gas, utilities, inspections, surveillance and others. Elsight was founded in 2009.
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