Europe’s First: DELAIR Releases C6 Class Drone, BVLOS Flight Without Specific Authorization

DELAIR Releases Europe’s First C6 Class Drone

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

French drone manufacturer DELAIR has released the C6 class UX11 drone, enabling BVLOS operations across Europe without the need for specific authorization within the framework of the EASA European standard scenario STS-02. The UX11 is the first ever C6 class drone available in Europe.

10 years ago DELAIR released the DT18, the world’s first drone to obtain airworthiness certification for BVLOS flights within civil airspace (DGAC S4 Scenarios in France). The UX11 drone’s C6 designation once again positions DELAIR as a pioneer in BVLOS flights and European regulation.

Able to be carried in a backpack and launched by hand, the 1.4 kg UX11 can land nearly anywhere due to its patented BTOL (Bird like Take-Off and Landing) technology. With a deployment time under 5 minutes, UX11 is intuitive and reliable and has already logged several hundred thousand kilometers BVLOS worldwide. Its C6 marking signifies its improved autonomy, with an endurance of 1h20 enabling longer range missions. Current DELAIR customers have the option of upgrading their UX11 via a retrofit to adapt the new requirements and affix the C6 marking.

Professional drones operating in Europe are subject to EASA regulations established January 2021 which define authorized uses based on the drone’s class (class C0 to C6). UX11 operators will be able to fly in a standard European scenario (called STS-02) without a pre-existing operating permit. The UX11 is ideal for linear inspection, safety and topography operations.

“With this C6 marking, DELAIR becomes the benchmark BVLOS drone manufacturer in Europe. This marking will allow us to address the entire European market. In the power line inspection market for example, our solution benefits from the experience of 10 years of successful operations in France, both on the acquisition and the processing of the data,” said DELAIR CEO Bastien Mancini. “Drones are much more frugal in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions than traditional means such as helicopters. We are proud to provide our customers and their operators a reliable, rugged drone and, from now on, adapted to the latest European regulations.”

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.