Go-ahead for drones beyond visual line of sight
Matternet, a developer of urban drone delivery systems, has announced that its partner, UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF), a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS, has received approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate the Matternet M2 drone beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) for package delivery.
With this approval, UPSFF will now be able to fly the Matternet M2 drone without requiring expensive visual observers to monitor the airspace. UPSFF will be able to remove Visual Observers by installing a ground-based radar to scan the skies for potential air traffic conflicts and alert a remote pilot in command.
The FAA also authorises “uAvionix”, a developer and manufacturer of equipment for unmanned aircraft systems, with its Rapace software to operate drones beyond visual line of sight in order to use the Vantis network to test its detect and avoid technology. (cj)