Google-backed delivery app Dunzo and Bengaluru-based drone start-up Throttle Aerospace have got civil aviation authority Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s permission to test long-range autonomous drone flight, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The website reported that these permissions are part of the authority’s experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) programme which was notified earlier this year. The companies are expected to start tests in February 2020, awaiting signed letters from the regulator. Both companies have identified airspaces outside Bengaluru, people in the knowledge of the matter told the publication.
Currently, drone operators are allowed to run line of sight operations only and there are several other regulations for drone flight operations in the country. This programme is aimed at boosting the use of drones in surveillance, mapping and deliveries, as per the report.
While many companies await approvals for their BVLOS tests, the companies will have to run 100 hours of test flights before they can submit proof of concept. Moreover, the regulator’s BVLOS Experiment Assessment and Monitoring (BEAM) will submit findings from their oversight of the tests to enable the formation of drone laws for a long-range and autonomous drone, according to the report.
Dunzo, a hyperlocal delivery app delivers food, medicine, groceries, packages and provides other services while Throttle Aerospace Systems Ltd makes unmanned drones for industrial, mapping and agricultural applications.
(Published 20 December 2019, 02:37 IST)
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