WORLD-FIRST £3.7 million drone trials have successfully been completed off Jersey’s north coast – several months ahead of NASA.
And Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel has heralded the birth of a new research and development sector in Jersey with “enormous” potential benefits for the Island.
Ministers yesterday joined representatives from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the UK’s Agile Integrated Airspace System (ALIAS) programme, Digital Jersey, and technology start-up Volant Autonomy at Sorel Point to watch the conclusion of the UK-funded three-month trial of “game-changing” drone technology.
While the wind speeds were outside the 12 metres-per-second limit to fly the drones safely, Volant operated a Draken aircraft with synthetic (simulated) drones showing safe separation.
Spirits were not dampened, though, because earlier this week, the goal of the trials had been achieved.
The teams showed that two uncrewed aircraft and one manned aircraft could fly deconflicted in integrated airspace. The drones safely interacted with other aircraft and avoided hitting them with automatic detection and alternative flight paths for diversion, complying with air traffic control procedures in the same way that a pilot would.
Sebastian Lawson, head of projects at Digital Jersey, said it was possibly the first time that goal had been achieved in the world.
The arm’s length organisation have been Volant’s “boots on the ground”, Mr Lawson said, enabling the trials by sorting out logistics and liaising with local regulators.
He said: “The trials have been incredibly successful. It’s very rare for innovation projects, but they’ve managed to get through all the milestones of the project early.
“Yesterday was a really important point where they were flying a drone from here to the airport and at the same time flying a drone from the airport to here and visibly seeing that a manned aircraft could interact with the drones, which automatically detect the other aircraft and avoid it. That was a milestone, globally.”
He explained there were two projects of this technology at this scale worldwide – one in Jersey and one in the US.
Mr Lawson added: “NASA have been very interested in what we’re doing here, and watching very closely. We invited them to come, and offered to fund their trip, but unfortunately they are not able to accept funding from other countries.
“They are a few months behind of us on the trials. This is putting Jersey on the map, in a big way.”
Mr Lawson continued: “In an ideal world, we want to set up the permanent infrastructure for this, not necessarily at Sorel, but somewhere that makes logical sense and interacts well with the airport.
“This would give us connectivity to France, Guernsey and the UK eventually for drone technology and enable agile delivery through drones.”
Skyports remote pilot Kris Smith explained that similar technology was already being trialled – and used – for mail delivery between the Orkney Islands and for the transfer of paperwork between ships and port authorities in Singapore.
Digital Jersey said on social media how the trials represented a “major leap forward exploring cutting-edge technology” that could “revolutionise” UK and Channel Islands transportation with better connectivity, critical medical supply delivery, and search and rescue.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said: “Drones could bring benefits to the Island in terms of having a transport system which could carry small deliveries between Islands or other jurisdictions. There are all sorts of commercial opportunities, including air taxi services being developed in some parts of the world.”
He added: “The really big prize is getting Jersey known as a place of innovation, technology and research.”
One of the Future Economy Programme’s aims is to develop the innovation and research sector as part of the economy, as the Island has focused on developing the finance industry.
He said: “We need really clever people developing their commercial ideas in Jersey. They would manufacture elsewhere, but if the research and development is being done in Jersey, potentially with the intellectual property being registered here, then that creates a great basis for a research and development sector in the Island.”
He said he did not have an idea of how much the sector could bring in – but a successful technology could bring in “billions”.
“Medical and aviation technology are huge industries and the potential benefits are enormous for the Island if we become known as the place where you can do this sort of research and development.
Capt Anthony Lawrenson of Volant Autonomy reiterated the success of the trials, saying the weather had been “fantastic”, adding: “It’s a brilliant place to trial. We have had great support from the government, Ports of Jersey, Digital Jersey and the local aviation regulators. We have been working and exchanging ideas all the way through to make it work.
“There is more work to be done here, and it’s a fantastic testbed.”
He added that there was “considerable interest” from UK aviation companies in Jersey’s trials, some of whom were in attendance.
“From Jersey and the region’s perspective, there is a choice at this junction. You can either be a consumer of this technology or you’ve got an opportunity to turn Jersey and the region into a centre of excellence.
“Develop the technology, find local use cases for it, and that expertise then can be the development of a nascent high-tech industry which can export and consult around the world to rural and remote areas and Island communities.”
Matt Thomas, chief executive of Ports of Jersey, which also facilitated the trials, said they were the culmination of years of work on how to use Jersey’s airspace for research and innovation.
He said: “When we close down the research phase, we look at how we can scale this up and the commercial opportunities.
“The UK government has decided that it wants to be at the forefront of this transformation that is coming in aviation so it’s good to have the financial backing involved already.”
