JAL to test energy-efficient drones for long-distance flights
*This is a machine-translated text of the original article.
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture (Kansai region of Honshu island) announced that they would conclude a cooperation agreement aiming at solving regional problems using drones and JAL would conduct a demonstration experiment of small fixed-wing drones in Yabu City under technical cooperation with Terra Drone Japan.
Since summer 2019, the two companies have been preparing for demonstration tests of logistics using small, fixed-wing drones that enable long-distance flights at low energy without the need for a runway, utilizing the Terra Drone-developed drone operational management system “Terra UTM(*).”
The demonstration experiment transports disaster emergency support materials (sanitary goods such as dressings, commercial pharmaceuticals, and simulated ampoules) using a small fixed-wing drone at a distance of about 25km in a hilly mountainous region.
It is scheduled to be implemented in the spring of 2020.
In the future, the two companies intend to solve regional problems by providing logistics services using drones, such as the transport of pharmaceuticals and other emergency supplies, in cooperation with Yabu City.
(*) Drone operation management system that manages flight plans and flight information for various types of communications radio in Japan and various manufacturers in Japan and overseas
Original Text: https://ampmedia.jp/2020/01/27/jal-7/