Class 2 drone starts tests for product delivery

After getting approval from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) for experimental flights with a class 2 drone (maximum takeoff weight greater than 25 kg and less than 150 kg) the FW 150 drone model from XMobots is getting ready to fly high. The drone, weighing approximately 115 kg, starts this week a pilot project that foresees the delivery of health products in remote areas of the country.

Still in its initial phase, the project, which counts with the collaboration of ANAC technicians, has the future goal of transporting small and medium cargo over distances up to 1,000 km and in operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), when the operator does not need to have direct visual contact with the aircraft. According to XMobots’ schedule, the process should be completed by 2022.

Until the completion of all the work, the company will need to certify, by means of technical tests, that the project complies with the general rules for the operation of unmanned aircraft for civil use – the Brazilian Special Civil Aviation Regulation (RABAC-E) N. 94, published by the Agency in May 2017.

The Head of the Department of Airworthiness of ANAC – the area responsible for analyzing and conducting certification projects of remotely-piloted aircraft, Roberto Honorato, is optimistic about the projects presented to the Agency for the commercial development of activities that have the drone as a means of transportation.

In his evaluation, “the delivery service performed with these aircrafts is the one that has the greatest potential for growth in the short and medium term, and one of the most promising as well.”