Counter Drone Solutions: An Important Player in Drone Delivery Trials

Counter drone solutions are a critical piece of drone delivery trials.  Leading C-UAS provider Fortem Technologies has completed the first phase of their participation in the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) in North Carolina – monitoring airspace to facility drone delivery.

“As part of the program, Fortem is conducting tests to monitor the airspace around WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, tracking manned flights alongside the UPS Delivery Corridor, delivering medical test samples safely and quickly via unmanned drones,” says a Fortem press release.  “Fortem was able to accurately and consistently track incoming medical helicopter traffic, providing real-time alerts to Airmap, an unmanned service supplier, thereby helping to enable a safe and secure airspace for flight.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division of Aviation partners are working towards drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS.). Programs like the IPP will provide valuable data to make the safety case for regularizing BVLOS drone applications like medical drone delivery.  Fortem Technologies will continue to work with partners in the Wake Med area for the next phases of testing.

Fortem’s counter drone solutions include their TrueView™ radar and SkyDome® software system to identify any air traffic in the area of operations, such as medical helicopters flying in and out of the area.  The solution can also notify drone operators of any potential “non-cooperative” aircraft flying near operations.

“By monitoring the airspace and creating a service that ensures the safe use of unmanned air vehicles, we will expand from these initial drone deliveries to greater geographical reach and more sophisticated roles for unmanned drones,” said Adam Robertson, CTO of Fortem Technologies. “With Fortem’s ability to offer real time data and analysis of airborne threats, we can start to see additional support for things like search and rescue operations, first responders, and increased shipments of critical supplies to remote locations. None of this can happen without the trust that our systems are effective and safe.”

“Ensuring the safety of manned aviation is paramount for unmanned flight operations, yet successful coordination of the two is not an easy task,” said Basil Yap, UAS Program Manager, NCDOT. “The phase one testing has shown promising results and we are hopeful the phase two operations will provide the information we need to receive a beyond-visual-line-of-sight waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration.”