BVLOS drone operations have been tested in a major project on drone use at scale around critical national infrastructure, including rail inspections and incident response.

BVLOS drone operations tested in SOCNI rail trial
Photo: NATS

Project SOCNI tests BVLOS drone operations

According to NATS⁠, Project SOCNI stands for “Scaling BVLOS Operations for Critical National Infrastructure”. It brought together organisations from aviation, drone technology, rail infrastructure and policing.

The work assessed how beyond visual line of sight drone operations could be delivered safely. It focused on complex operating environments.

DroneCloud led the consortium. It also included NATS, Network Rail, Transport for Wales, RUAS and British Transport Police.

The trials took place in a real-world rail setting. The consortium tested whether several operators could safely use the same section of airspace at the same time. At the same time, all participants relied on shared information and followed a clear model for prioritising activity.

Shared airspace and OpenAir development

The live demonstration used real aircraft alongside simulated real-world scenarios. Still, the project is only hoped to contribute to a new concept of operations. That concept could support a move from segregated airspace toward shared airspace.

Jan Domaradzki, Co-founder of DroneCloud, said:

“Project SOCNI has shown the value of bringing together the right partners to test how BVLOS operations can be delivered safely in complex environments.”

“Working with NATS and the wider consortium has allowed us to explore not only the technology required, but also the operational processes and safety considerations needed to support future deployment at scale.”

Results from SOCNI will now support the continued development of OpenAir. This is NATS’ concept for the safe integration of new airspace users. In addition, the concept is intended to enable data sharing and digital coordination between operators.

The wider project was supported through the UK Research and Innovation Future Flight programme⁠. The programme provides funding for projects aimed at advancing next-generation aviation systems and services in the UK.