Amazon teams up with the UK to make drone delivery a reality

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Amazon has today announced a partnership with the UK Government to explore the steps needed to make the delivery of parcels by small drones a reality, allowing Amazon to trial new methods of testing its delivery systems.

A cross-Government team supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has provided Amazon with permissions to explore three key innovations: beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban areas, testing sensor performance to make sure the drones can identify and avoid obstacles, and flights where one person operates multiple highly-automated drones.

“The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation – we’ve been investing in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time,” said Paul Misener, Amazon’s Vice President of Global Innovation Policy and Communications. “This announcement strengthens our partnership with the UK and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the UK and elsewhere around the world.”
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http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2188074
 
Online retailer Amazon is to embark on a series of tests of its Prime Air unmanned air vehicle delivery concept in the UK, under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, to take advantage of the country's more lenient airspace regulations.

Folowing the signing of an agreement with the UK government, Amazon will conduct trials of a Prime Air test vehicle, which it claims will help shape regulations covering the delivery of small parcels using UAVs.

Testing will cover three development fields: rural and suburban beyond-line-of-sight operations; sense and avoid systems; and the operation of multiple aircraft by one controller.

It aims to assess the safety and reliability measures essential for the use of UAVs in the delivery sector, and will help inform regulators on the operational rules required.

These trials have been deemed “radical” by the online courier service ParcelHero, which claims the US Federal Aviation Administration’s hesitation has led Amazon to take advantage of other markets to develop Prime Air.

“The UK government was keen to capitalise on America’s hesitation. Now a cross-government team ­– supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority – has pushed through new legislation allowing radical new trials,” says David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero. “The new permissions allow beyond-line-of-sight operations in rural and suburban areas, and flights where one person operates multiple highly automated drones.

“Previously such flights would have been unthinkable and seen Amazon’s plans grounded.”
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https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/amazon-and-uk-government-plan-uav-delivery-tests-428075/
 
First Prime Air delivery.

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Beta testing in the U.K. and not the US.
 

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