(JNS) Yaakov Lappin - Israeli UAV producer Gadfin is the first company to receive an Israeli Civil Aviation Authority permit for urban airspace deliveries. It will initially offer hospitals, laboratories and a range of organizations the ability to send and receive supplies via drone, skipping over congested roads and reducing risk to sensitive, refrigerated packages. Gadfin's "Spirit One" drone can take packages weighing up to 15 kg. across 250 km. The aircraft are operated autonomously with almost no human intervention. It takes off vertically like a UAV before folding out wings and flying like a plane, and can stand up to strong winds. Gadfin CEO Eyal Regev, a former senior manager at Israel Aerospace Industries, foresees its use in providing essential services in remote Third World locations. In Africa, the needs include the ability to quickly transport basic medical supplies such as blood donations. "We are in touch with huge companies in Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia, which wants to connect its array of 13,000 islands," said Regev. In September, Gadfin announced an agreement with Italian energy giant ENEL to develop powerline inspection solutions and enable drone surveys of 800,000 km. of the company's voltage lines, starting in Brazil.
2020-10-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive