skip to content

TAS To Begin India’s First Medical Drone Delivery Trials This Month 

- Advertisement -

Narayana Health will be partnering with the consortium by providing medicines that will be used for transport during the trials

India is set to begin its first official beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery trials this month by a consortium of firms led by Bengaluru’s Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS)  at Gauribidanur, a site 80 km from Bengaluru. 

- Advertisement -

TAS had obtained approval for object delivery experiments from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March 2020 but could not proceed with the experiments due to the onset of the pandemic which had led to delays in some permissions from other agencies.

With all permissions and clearances now in place, the firm will carry out the first set of trials for 30-45 days, beginning June 18.

In a conversation with STOI, TAS CEO Nagendran Kandasamy said, “Two other consortia also have permission for BVLOS experiments, but ours is the first legal/official medical drone delivery experiment. We have come a long way since 2016 and are at a pivotal moment. After a long wait, we now have an official go-ahead from the BVLOS Experiment Monitoring Committee (BEMC) and we look forward to leveraging commercial drone delivery in India soon.”

Narayana Health will be partnering with the consortium by providing medicines that will be used for transport during the trials, with its founder and cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty backing the trials.

Kandasamy informed that Narayana Health’s partnership was for the chain to understand the kinds of medicines that could be transported using drones, the challenges and whether or not this can be used routinely in future.

As per reports, the consortium will use two variants of its drone — MedCOPTER and TAS’ on-demand delivery software called RANDINT — during the experiment.

“The smaller variant of MedCOPTER can carry 1kg for up to 15km, while the other can carry 2kg for up to 12km. We will be testing both for range and safety through the 30-45 days, during which we have to fly for at least 100 hours as per DGCA. We are aiming to fly for around 125 hours. The logs will be reviewed and submitted to the authorities at the end of the trial,” Kandasamy said.

The consortium also includes Involi-Swiss, which specialises in air traffic awareness systems for professional drone applications, which is providing unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems, and Honeywell Aerospace as a safety expert.

- Advertisement -

Most Popular Articles

Honda, Nissan End $60B Merger Deal Amid Disagreements

0
Scrapping $60 billion merger talks, Nissan and Honda, despite setbacks, continue collaborating on tech while seeking new partnerships to survive. Nissan and Honda have called...

BYD Partners With DeepSeek For Smart Driver Assistance Tech

0
Challenging rivals like Tesla in China with competitive prices, BYD partners with AI firm DeepSeek to launch budget-friendly, advanced driver-assistance tech. Chinese electric vehicle...

Ola Electric Leads EV 2W Market

0
The EV 2W market in Q3 FY25 with a 25.5% share, ₹1,069 Cr revenue, 20.8% gross margin, 84,029 units delivered, new Gen 3 S1...

Modi’s US Visit, Talks With Trump And Elon Musk Focus On Trade And Tech

0
Meeting the President and Elon Musk, Modi's first US visit after Trump's return sparks key talks on semiconductor trade and AI while expanding Starlink...

Altair, LTTS Launch Advanced Wireless Tech Centre In Bengaluru

0
Powering innovation in telecommunications, smart factories, connected vehicles, and more, Altair and LTTS unveil an advanced 5G-6G centre of excellence in Bengaluru. Tech company...
Sridhar Kaip, CEO, SFAL

“Many Startups Selected Under DLI Are Part Of SFAL’s Portfolio” – Sridhar Kaip, SFAL

0
With a vision to enable companies to develop semiconductor IPs in India, the Semiconductor Fabless Accelerator Labs (SFAL) has incubated five fabless design startups...
Anshuman Divyanshu, CEO, Exicom

“Our Chargers Are Fully Interoperable and Compatible with All Vehicles” – Anshuman Divyanshu, Exicom

0
Battery safety and longevity, the effects of charging and discharging, and various safeguards and features are among the most critical considerations for a battery...
Khushal Panchal,  chief operating officer (COO), PCB Power

“We Differentiate Ourselves By Producing Radio Frequency PCBs For Wireless Communication Devices” – Khushal...

0
With technology and policy support, Indian PCB manufacturing is at a turning point. Can innovation and scale match global giants? PCB Power leads the...
Jayesh Ranjan IAS, Special Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce and ITE&C, Government Of Telangana

“To Compensate For Telangana’s Lack Of A Wet Port,Our Incentives Help ESDM And Semiconductor...

0
Despite logistics challenges, how is Telangana securing billion-dollar investments in electronics? Will the state unveil a new semiconductor policy soon? Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, from...
Shrinivas Kulkarni CFO, Cyient DLM

“Acquisitions That Help Address Gaps In Our Design Capabilities….. Interest Us” – Shrinivas Kulkarni,...

0
Over the past five years, Cyient DLM (formerly Rangsons Electronics), a subsidiary of Cyient Limited, has rapidly expanded its footprint in the design-led manufacturing...
Sridhar Kaip, CEO, SFAL

“Many Startups Selected Under DLI Are Part Of SFAL’s Portfolio” – Sridhar Kaip, SFAL

0
With a vision to enable companies to develop semiconductor IPs in India, the Semiconductor Fabless Accelerator Labs (SFAL) has incubated five fabless design startups...

Meridian Joins Altair’s Startup Programme To Boost UAV Tech

0
Eyeing to drive innovation in UAVs and hybrid power tech with simulation tools and expert support, Altair teams up with Meridian Flight Systems in...

Mitsubishi Electric Acquires Stake In Itanta Analytics Startup

0
Aiming to boost manufacturing digitalisation and efficiency with simplified automation solutions, Mitsubishi Electric India invests in Itanta Analytics to develop no-code data analysis tools....

Union Budget 2025-26: What It Has For The Electronics Sector?

0
With reduced and exempted duties, tax relief for manufacturing, and increased support for startups, this Budget addresses a broader range of issues within the...

IndiaAI Mission Expands To 18,693 GPUs For R&D

0
Aiming to support R&D and ethical AI, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the expansion of IndiaAI’s GPU infrastructure to 18,693 to benefit startups and...

Industry's Buzz

Learn From Leaders

Startups