Drone Delivery Group presents drone strategy

The white paper aims to provide a national strategy for autonomous drone technology to accelerate growth rapidly, safely and efficiently.

It was submitted to government by the group, which comprises over 400 industry experts, commentators and stakeholders. The Drone Delivery Group said it received extensive support from feedback during its consultation period.

Robert Garbett, chairman of the senior advisory board of the Drone Delivery Group, said: “PWC recently revised its forecast for the economic benefit of drone technology, estimating it at £45bn in contributions and £22bn in net savings to UK plc by 2030, equivalent to some 1.6 per cent of projected GDP… and this estimate focuses solely on the use of drones in the air! Consider land, maritime and air drones together, and you have a huge growth opportunity which is ready to be taken forward now.”

One of the key concerns driving the need for the strategy is to address the current lack of harmonisation between the application of regulations and industry standards between air, land and maritime drones, the group said.

Garbett added that drones have created a ‘paradigm shift’ which requires an evolution in the way the UK regulates in this area to avoid stifling an opportunity for the UK which could force the majority of drone business overseas.

“Drone technology can also reduce carbon emissions by 2.4m tonnes, but none of this will be possible unless the UK changes the way that it regulates drones across land, sea and air, with safety and the security of data being the main priorities,” he said. “It is vital that the government acts now to firmly establish the UK as an industry leader in drone technology.”

John Haffenden, CEO of the Drone Delivery Group, added: “Without a solid strategy, operational chaos, reduced safety and data security will be the result in what will continue to be a predominantly manned transport environment.

“Additionally, the work of the Operational Delivery Committee (ODC) of the Drone Delivery Group on this paper, headed by the chair of the ODC Fred Harbottle and involving many industry experts, must be commended for its robust approach to this issue."

Key recommendations for the government from the white paper include actively supporting and engaging with development of national and international ‘Safety’ mirrored ISO committees, and developing appropriate ‘Acceptable Means of Compliance’ (AMCs) and certification schemes for drone technology, and its operation, across all domains to enable commercialisation.