Germany’s First Long-Range Drone Deliveries Reach Offshore Wind Turbines

Skyports Drone Services, RWE, and Skyways demonstrate how drones can make offshore logistics faster, safer, and more sustainable

Skyports Drone Services, RWE, and Skyways have completed Germany’s first long-range offshore drone delivery trial to wind turbines at the Arkona Wind Farm. The test marks a new step in using autonomous aircraft to support offshore operations.

A New Way to Deliver Offshore

The three-week demonstration proved how drones can improve the offshore supply chain. Traditionally, small parts and tools must travel by boat, a trip that can take more than an hour. Using drones reduced delivery time to under 30 minutes and allowed flights to be booked on demand.

This approach offered a faster and more flexible way to move light cargo in challenging conditions. The project builds on earlier Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) tests by RWE and Skyports, which had focused on deliveries to offshore substations.

Advanced Drone Technology

For this phase, the team used Skyways’ V2 drone, a dual hybrid aircraft that combines electric motors for vertical takeoff and landing with a heavy fuel engine for long-distance flight. The V2 can travel up to 770 kilometers and carry up to 10 kilograms of cargo.

The flights began at RWE’s operation and maintenance base in Mukran Port on the German island of Rügen. From there, the drone flew more than 40 kilometers to reach the Arkona Wind Farm. It then approached a turbine, locked onto the nacelle, and released its cargo before automatically returning to the port.

Over the course of the trial, the aircraft flew more than 2,500 kilometers and logged over 65 hours of flight time.

Toward Hybrid Offshore Logistics

The goal of the project was to confirm the value of drones in offshore logistics. RWE plans to continue exploring how drone operations can work alongside crew transfer vessels. The company believes that combining these methods could transform offshore maintenance.

Skyports oversaw the entire operation, including regulatory approval, mission planning, piloting, and final reporting. The company has significant experience in operating long-range drones in harsh conditions, with previous missions in Norway and other maritime regions.

Industry Perspectives

Alex Brown, CEO of Skyports Drone Services, said: “Drones are a powerful tool when it comes to operating in remote locations and harsh environments – and offshore wind turbines are a perfect use case. With their advantages of speed, cost, safety and improved sustainability, they’re becoming a very attractive option for infrastructure operators. This trial proves their capabilities, and we’re looking forward to continue pushing what’s possible with our drones for RWE.”

Vivek Trivedi, O&M Optimisation Manager at RWE, said: “The trial has proved that drones give us flexibility. In offshore, flexibility is power. They allow us to react faster, reduce waiting times, and optimise resources. It’s a whole new dimension of efficiency. Long term, we see that drone operations could become part of a hybrid logistics model for operating and maintaining our offshore wind fleet.”

Charles Acknin, CEO of Skyways, added: “It’s exciting to watch our commercial customers push the limits, flying in remote, hard-to-reach areas with demanding weather conditions. Standing up BVLOS operations is no small feat, and we’re proud that Skyways is the aircraft of choice for those missions.”

Powering the Future of Offshore Operations

The Arkona Wind Farm, located 35 kilometers northeast of Rügen, has a capacity of 385 megawatts and supplies power to about 400,000 German homes. RWE operates the site for its partners, Equinor and Energy Infrastructure Partners.

As renewable energy grows, projects like this trial show how drones can make offshore operations faster, safer, and more sustainable. The success of the Skyports, RWE, and Skyways collaboration highlights the growing role of uncrewed systems in the global energy transition.

Read more:

• Drones Make Wind Power More Sustainable: Turbine Inspections Without Down Time [DRONELIFE Exclusive]
• Skyways Completes Historic Cargo Drone Flights for U.S. Military
• MightyFly Secures $50M Healthcare Contract for Autonomous Cargo eVTOL Deliveries