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“ Currently, there is a gap between industry requirements and the existing way of working, which involves heavy, manned helicopters, inspecting infrastructure and providing aerial surveillance services. There have been several attempts to replace this process with simple, small drones, and many organizations operating in the energy industry have built their own programs but the general conclusion from these endeavors is that while it’ s possible to carry out local inspections, there’ s only so much a small drone can do.
“ As such, to plug this gap, our solution offers an alternative to traditional manned helicopters. A solution that is safe, sustainable, and cost efficient, offering a significant reduction in risk, pollution, and cost when compared to manned missions. We replace manned helicopters with an uncrewed system, with long-range capability, that flies beyond the visual line of sight( BVLOS).”
BVLOS refers to drone operations where the pilot cannot see the drone with their naked eye, relying instead on sensors, cameras, and other technologies to maintain control and situational awareness. This contrasts with visual line of sight( VLOS) operations, where the pilot maintains direct visual contact with the drone. BVLOS operations are increasingly used for long-range or large-scale tasks like inspections, surveys, and deliveries, but they require more advanced technology and regulatory approvals due to the complexity.
“ We’ re transforming the way all these missions are carried out, taking manned helicopters out of the process to disrupt the current application and replacing them with our uncrewed helicopters to capture data for real-time observation or to provide insights and actionable outcomes.”
Indeed, with SwissDrones’ SDO 50 model, missions are possible under difficult or dangerous circumstances, such as bad weather, darkness, or flying over hostile or otherwise unsafe areas, when manned operations are not feasible. The SDO 50 enables CO₂ emission reductions of up to 95 percent compared to manned helicopters. As such, long-range BVLOS drones can be a significant enabler for a greener future. Additionally, the vertical takeoff and landing( VTOL) system is highly costeffective compared to manned aerial solutions and requires less training to operate confidently.
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