The project marked India's first official beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery experiment even as another drone trial for delivering vaccines awaits approval in Telangana. A trial run by Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) for drone delivery of medicines was successfully completed in Bengaluru on the 20th of August, the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted. According to the ministry, the trial run was led by Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) under the supervision of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). BVLOS drone operations are when pilots can operate a drone remotely, without the need to continuously be within visual range of the drone, whereas in Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) operations, the pilot of the drone has to maintain continuous, unaided visual contact with the unmanned aircraft. The trial run was conducted within a 15-km radius of Gauribidanur taluk, some 80 km from Bengaluru. Such trial runs assume importance as they will determine whether drones can be used to deliver life-saving drugs and medicines in far-flung areas with improper road connectivity or in dense urban settings during times of crisis. Currently, there are trials taking place in Telangana for the delivery of vaccines as well. More details about the Bengaluru trial run According to a report by NewsMinute, the trial run for this project began in the month of June. As per the report, the project got delayed due to pandemic-induced permission problems from different agencies despite the DGCA approving the project back in March. The trial saw two different models of…
