British police will experiment with unmanned aircraft as part of new drone tests in the UK.
The UK Aviation Authority has supported the project, which is led by the National Police Air Service (NPAS).
The tests focus on flights “beyond visual line of sight” – that is, the operators will not see their drones. The police will instead rely on technology to navigate, control and detect other aircraft.
NPAS has high hopes for this approach. In 2021, the service launched a Futures and Innovation Team to explore flights beyond visual line of sight. The team envisions the drones becoming part of a mixed fleet of aircraft.
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NPAS has not yet announced the intended uses, but police and crime commissioners have announced big plans for drones.
In November, Commissioner Donna Jones claimed that about a third of the armed forces wanted to replace helicopters with unmanned aircraft.
“Drones are much faster,” she said. “They are much more maneuverable. Technology is improving incredibly at the moment and police and crime commissioners have been making a strong case to the Home Office that drones should be a very viable alternative.”
The new tests will examine their autonomous capabilities.
Five other projects will also take part in the tests. The best-known name among them is Amazon Prime Air, which will test drone deliveries.
Other trials include air traffic control, medical deliveries, inspections of offshore wind turbines and flights from the Scottish archipelago of Orkney.
Sophie O'Sullivan, director of future flights at the Civil Aviation Authority, called the trials “a significant step” for unmanned aircraft.
“Our goal is to make beyond-line-of-sight drone operations a safe and everyday reality,” she said.
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