The UK’s DroneCloud has announced that, with partners the UK’s Railscape’s UAS division (RUAS) and manufacturer Velos Rotors, it has secured approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to roll out Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights across nine rail routes totalling 70km. At the heart of the operation is DroneCloud’s uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system, the first in the UK to be proven at scale for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), said the company in a Linkedin article.
This authorisation, granted under the UK Civil Aviation Authority ‘s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, represents the first step toward integrating drones into shared airspace at scale, said DroneCloud.
The flights will be operated from a purpose-built Drone Hub at Network Rail’s Birmingham Rail Operating Centre (ROC). Using Dronecloud’s Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) system alongside the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Atypical Air Environment framework, and with UAV pilots from RUAS, this authorisation paves the way for rapid expansion across Network Rail’s 14 routes and 20,000 miles of track.
According to the company: “This approval is more than a milestone in aviation — it’s a breakthrough for Britain’s railway. BVLOS operations allow drones to safely deliver large-scale, real-time monitoring and rapid response capabilities — reducing risk, cutting disruption, and enabling safer and more reliable services for passengers. Incident management has cost Network Rail over UK1 billion in the past decade. Trespass alone has caused 1.5 million minutes of delays since April 2024. Routine inspections are costly and time-intensive.”
Dronecloud’s UTM platform will monitors flight conformance and ensure safe separation of aircraft, creating the conditions for BVLOS flights to be not only possible but scalable.
Simon Bachelor, Head of Drones Programme British Transport Police (BTP): “We police Britain’s railways, providing a service to rail operators, their staff and passengers across the country. A key strategic objective is to innovate and collaborate with partners to reduce disruption, which is exactly what this project is about. We have been using drones for many years now and are using the latest ‘Drone In a Box’ technology to tackle disruption. What is clear is that we need a viable means of deconfliction with other air users and to progress an effective UTM to allow our operations to be conducted at scale.”
Jan Domaradzki, CEO, Dronecloud said: “Dronecloud’s vision is to help deploy managed services with multiple Hubs and satellite drones ports to deliver a common capability for all asset managers and drone operators needing to fly BVLOS across the UK. This will be a truly game-changing capability, opening the door for centralised mass-scale deployment of drones across all CNI (Critical National Infrastructure). As the industry matures, CNI use cases will help drive the design and development of UTM services. It’s critical for us to be at the forefront as we move into the implementation stage.”
Ed Lewis, Head of Operations & Strategy, RUAS (Railscape): “The success of this BVLOS project hinges on strong collaboration, and as an operator, RUAS are proud to be part of this team effort with Network Rail, Dronecloud, and others. By working together and sharing expertise, we’re developing best practices and setting the standard for future BVLOS operations within the rail industry and beyond. This initiative is a game-changer, allowing us to move beyond the limitations of visual line of sight and offer significantly more efficient and extensive monitoring and response capabilities. Ultimately, this technology will enable Network Rail to deliver safer, more reliable rail services for the public.”
Dronecloud is now engaging with other Critical National Infrastructure partners to expand BVLOS operations across road, rail, maritime and power networks. This marks the beginning of a national shift toward drone-enabled infrastructure management, said the company.
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(Image: Drone operations control room at the heart of Network Rial’s BROC)
