Skylift UAV achieves UK first with BVLOS drone trials over Solent

Skylift UAV has completed one of the UK’s most ambitious civil drone programs, delivering a national aviation first by carrying out coordinated beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in some of the country’s busiest airspace.

As lead drone operator for the Solent Future Transport Zone’s (FTZ’s) Drones for Medical Logistics (DfML) project, Skylift flew multiple uncrewed aircraft simultaneously across the Solent, a strait off the south coast of England, under a Civil Aviation Authority-approved Airspace Change Proposal. Operations were coordinated with the Coastguard, police, and air ambulance, demonstrating safe drone integration in safety-critical environments.

Flights took place from Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth, within a temporary danger area, in June and July 2025.

Tim Forrester, Program Manager of the Solent Future Transport Zone, said: “The Solent FTZ was created to take future transport concepts beyond theory and into practice, in real operating environments. These trials have shown what’s possible when regulators, universities, and the public sector and private sector work together … supporting policy development at the Department for Transport.”

The DfML project aims to enable the reliable drone delivery of critical medical supplies to the Isle of Wight. Skylift said the trials proved complex BVLOS logistics missions could be conducted safely and repeatedly in congested airspace.

“Our focus has always been on solving real logistical challenges,” said Toby Moores, CEO and Co-Founder of Skylift. “This project proves that drones can play a practical, reliable role in delivering time-critical medical supplies, particularly in hard-to-reach or geographically complex locations.”

University of Southampton researchers and Danish firm Hecto Drone have supported parallel studies into payload safety, airspace integration, and aircraft performance, with further findings expected to be published.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust recently entered a partnership with Open Skies Network to introduce an NHS medical drone delivery service across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.