Amazon, UK Govt Partner to Explore Drone-Backed Package Deliveries; Paul Misener Comments

Amazon has partnered with the U.K. government to study the potential use of small unmanned aerial systems in package deliveries across the country with permission from a British Civil Aviation Authority-backed cross-government team.

The shipping giant aims to explore beyond line of sight operations in rural and suburban areas, assess sensor performance to help drones detect obstacles and fly multiple automated drones, Amazon said Monday.

Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications, said the partnership aims to help “deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the U.K. and elsewhere around the world.”

Misener added that the company has invested in Prime Air research and development in the U.K. in an effort to achieve 5-pound deliveries of packages to customers with drones.

The partnership is also intended to develop rules and safety regulations for the UAS industry in the future.