Skylift UAV has successfully delivered one of the UK’s most ambitious civil drone trials to date, achieving a national aviation first by conducting coordinated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations across one of the country’s busiest and most complex airspaces.

As the lead drone operator within the Solent Future Transport Zone’s Drones for Medical Logistics (DfML) project, Skylift flew multiple uncrewed aircraft simultaneously across the Solent — the UK’s busiest waterway — under a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)-approved Airspace Change Proposal (ACP). The operations were conducted in full coordination with the Coastguard, Police, and Air Ambulance, demonstrating how drones can be safely integrated into real-world, safety-critical environments.

Operating from Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth under a Temporary Danger Area (TDA), Skylift’s BVLOS flights took place throughout June and July 2025, setting a new benchmark for scale, complexity, and regulatory maturity in UK uncrewed aviation.

Tim Forrester, Programme 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.Solent Transport will continue to share learnings from this project and others in the Future Transport Zone into 2026, supporting policy development at the Department for Transport”.

Unlocking Real-World Medical Logistics

The DfML project is focused on enabling reliable drone delivery of critical medical supplies to the Isle of Wight — a challenging logistics environment where resilience, speed, and operational certainty are essential. Skylift’s role was central to proving that complex BVLOS logistics missions can be executed legally, safely, and repeatedly in highly congested airspace.

Building on Proven BVLOS Leadership

The Solent trials built directly on Skylift’s established BVLOS credentials, including its successful participation in Project ALIAS off the coast of Jersey in 2024, where the company demonstrated advanced airspace integration capabilities in offshore environments. The Solent FTZ project further reinforces Skylift’s position as one of the UK’s leading operators in regulated BVLOS operations.

“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.”

Advancing Payload Science and Aircraft Capability

In parallel with the operational trials, Skylift worked closely with the University of Southampton and Hecto Drone, a Danish company to conduct advanced medical logistics research using the HD-606 hybrid multirotor. The aircraft — capable of carrying payloads of up to 25kg for up to three hours — was used to develop a detailed vibration profile, helping to assess the suitability of drones for transporting life-saving medicines with limited shelf lives.

This research is believed to be among the first of its kind and represents a critical step in validating drones as a viable platform for sensitive medical payloads. Further findings will be published in due course. The University of Southampton also contributed vital research into airspace integration, flight safety, and systems interoperability.

Shaping the Future of BVLOS Operations

The evidence gathered through these trials will directly support the CAA’s ambition to transition BVLOS drone operations from segregated to non-segregated airspace. The project will help inform future drone corridors, regulatory frameworks, and public confidence in uncrewed aviation across the UK.

With a long-term vision focused on enabling emergency medical logistics — including blood, pathology samples, and time-critical medicines — Skylift’s work in the Solent demonstrates how advanced UAV operations can deliver tangible societal benefit.

About Skylift

Skylift is an experienced UK drone operator specialising in advanced offshore logistics and delivery solutions. Skylift also provides turnkey UAV VLOS and BVLOS solutions to solve logistical and time-critical challenges. With expertise in offshore energy and logistics, Skylift partners with global innovators to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable drone solutions.

About Solent Transport

Solent Transport is changing the way the public travels in the Solent area; making it greener, healthier and economically stronger than it’s ever been before. Through the delivery of transport solutions, Solent Transport provides leadership, strategy and direction to support sustainable economic growth in the Solent area. Originally established in 2007, Solent Transport is a partnership between the councils of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. In collaboration with the local community, business, government and transport operators, Solent Transport undertakes research; develops transport policy and strategy; submits and supports funding bids; and lobbies for transport improvements that will benefit everyone.

About the Solent Future Transport Zone

Solent Transport won £29m from the Department for Transport (DfT) to implement innovative future transport solutions around personal mobility and freight movements. The funding means the Solent area will benefit from several innovative transport solutions including: smartphone
apps for planning and paying for sustainable journeys demand, e-bike share scheme, and new
approaches to freight distribution, including drone freight trials for NHS deliveries across the
Solent to the Isle of Wight. Funding will be allocated to different projects across the region. The
Solent Future Transport Zone programme proposes to address local challenges such as high
levels of car usage and the environmental impacts of freight movement within Solent’s urban
areas. It will do this by delivering a series of complementary projects within two key themes:
Personal Mobility and Sustainable Urban Logistics.