Amazon reports it has started drone flights out of its UK Darlington fulfilment centre, with the northern city set to become the first location in the UK to launch Prime Air later in 2026.
The service will use Amazon’s latest MK30 autonomous drone.
“Prime Air is at an early stage in the UK, with flights operating out of Amazon’s Darlington fulfilment centre,” said the company in a press release. “Deliveries are not yet being made, but the service is expected to officially launch in 2026….The MK30 is as quiet as an average van delivery. Keeping noise and perceived volume to a minimum was a critical priority for the drone development team, who experimented with various propeller designs to meet their goals.
“The MK30 has received Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval to conduct operations. As the MK30 descends for delivery, its onboard systems identify and steer clear of obstacles such as clotheslines or trampolines—items that might not appear in satellite maps. These same cameras continuously monitor the surrounding airspace during flight, determining whether evasive action is needed to avoid other aircraft entering the drone’s flight path. The perception technology relies on sophisticated machine learning models trained to recognise various objects, including people, animals, physical barriers, and other airborne vehicles.
“The development team built an independent monitoring computer that oversees the main flight control system. When the monitoring system identifies irregularities during flight, it can instantly switch control to a secondary controller whilst initiating an automated return-to-base procedure.”
For more information
https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/innovation/prime-air-drone-deliveries-uk
(Image: Amazon)