Moonrock Newsletter – February 2024
Welcome to the latest newsletter from your experts Moonrock Drone Insurance. It’s been another busy month in the drone/eVTOL market , so sit back and take in the latest developments from around the globe.
We’re drone/eVTOL specialists and this regular update is designed to help you keep on top of the latest, news, rules and technological developments in the commercial market
Prepare for vertical take-off
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a consultation on design proposals for vertiports at existing aerodromes, paving the way for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft operations in the United Kingdom. The policy will help prepare for eVTOL aircraft to operate in the UK. These aircraft, are designed to land and take off like helicopters, but have the potential to provide more efficient and sustainable ways to travel between cities and airports. The consultation closes on 15 March 2024 and responses can be made via the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s dedicated webpage.
Drone Code
The CAA also posted an update to its Drone Code. It added to Point 7, which tells pilots to “stay well away from airports, airfields, spaceports and aircraft” to point out that drone software might not always be up-to-date enough to highlight airspace restrictions.
No-fly zones imposed for drones around prisons
The government has introduced fresh legislation to crackdown on criminals using drones to smuggle illegal drugs into prison. The new law introduces 400m no-fly zones around all prisons in England and Wales. Drone operators that break the rules could face fines of up to £2,500 while those found smuggling illicit items will face up to 10 years in prison. The law came into force in January.
Fields of gold
Agricultural communities are becoming increasingly aware of just how useful drones can be, particularly for crop spraying. Indeed agriculture is expected to be the fastest growing sector for drone use in 2024. This is partly thanks to the Civil Aviation Authority which relaxed the rules around drone payloads and dropping material from UAVs in 2022. Moonrock is at the forefront of insuring these drones and is increasingly being asked to cover spraying and seeding operations. Tech Informed has produced a fascinating feature which details the scale of the opportunity for drones and agriculture.
Falmouth becomes first ‘drone friendly’ harbour in the UK
Open Skies Cornwall has celebrated some successful ‘ship-to-shore’ drone trials at Falmouth Harbour. The flights were part of a series of pilot tests aimed at investigating the robustness of the harbour’s ground infrastructure, airspace and flying capabilities to assess how suitable it will be for maritime drone activity. The organisation worked closely with Moonrock client, Skyports Drone Services, to develop a safety case and issue a Mariners Notice to help avoid conflict with boat-users and enable the trials to take place. Open Skies Cornwall’s ultimate ambition is to create a network of ‘Skyhighways’ to connect remote communities via drones.
BAE Systems buys UK drone firm
In M&A news, BAE Systems acquired Malloy Aeronautics – a leading company in innovative heavy lift drone and aeronautical technologies – for an undisclosed sum. Malloy Aeronautics designs and supplies all-electric uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to both civil and military customers. Its range of uncrewed, heavy lift quadcopters are capable of lifting payloads from 68kg to 300kg over short to medium range missions. BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics engineers have been collaborating to develop the 300kg T-650 all-electric ‘heavy lift’ UAS as a potential new solution to deliver cost-effective, sustainable rapid response capability to military, security and civilian customers.
Moonrock announcements:
- Insight into technology
Moonrock MD and founder, Simon Ritterband, was delighted to contribute to INSTANDA’s most recent report which explores how technology is transforming insurance. The analysis explores how the industry might look in ten years and features comments from experts across the insurance world
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