Next Stage in Israel’s Drone Delivery Revolution

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The Israel Innovation Authority envisions autonomous drone flights throughout Israel’s airspace, delivering medical supplies and tests, post, food, etc. to customers’ houses. The framework is a Ministry of Transportation project led by Ayalon Lines and the Innovation Authority, known as the NAMA project – urban mobility in the airspace.

Medical delivery flights to hospitals in Netanya and Safed have already begun last year, totaling 700 flights throughout 2020. 

An experiment in the skies of Hadera starting in late March will encompass five drone delivery companies that will operate 20 skimmers together, to prove their ability to operate safely in the same area. Flights will start over agricultural land near the city, and after a few weeks will also pass over populated areas. 

At a later stage, the experiment will be expanded up to 300 flights daily, to the extent that it resembled commercial activity, with the drones replacing couriers on motorcycles and delivery drivers. The state will invest NIS 6 million in the experiment.

In June, experiments will begin in dealing with drone operators with safety incidents such as the intrusion of a helicopter into their lane.

A center of Ayalon routes in Haifa will manage safety, with the drones flying autonomously to their destinations, as each company having an operator who can intervene as soon as there is a warning of a malfunction, the intrusion of aircraft into the route, etc.

The goal is to reach a situation in commercial operation where one operator controls 10 drones that make 100 flights a day, according to the Innovation Authority, cited by calcalist.co.il.

So how will a pizza delivery be operated, for example? At the first stage, the drones will fly to sites authorized by the municipal authority, carrying deliveries to 20 docking stations. Motorcycles will take it from there and operate the last-mile delivery to the customer. But from December 2021 on, the drone will reach directly to the customer’s house, landing on the roof or between buildings, according to ynet.co.il.

The participating companies were selected on the basis of a call for proposals published by the Innovation Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation and the Fuel Choices and Smart Mobility Administration at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. The companies are Highlander Aviation and Kendo and Jurmish, Airways Drones, Hartek Technologies, FT Aerial Solutions, and Simplex Interactive.

Watch the latest updates on Israeli regulation on unmanned aerial vehicles, in a presentation by Benny Davidor, Head of Airworthiness Division at the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority during the AUS&R broadcasted conference, organized by iHLS: