Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL), in collaboration with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and KDDI Corporation (KDDI), successfully demonstrated the simultaneous operation of five drones at four different sites across Japan. The demonstration, conducted from October 28 to 31, 2024, was part of NEDO’s “Development of Element Technologies for Drones or Unmanned Aircraft and Systems Enabling One-to-Many Drone Operations” under the “Realization Advanced Air Mobility Implementation Project (ReAMo Project).”
Demonstration Highlights
During the test, KDDI developed an advanced operations control system enabling the simultaneous flight of multiple drones. JAL leveraged its expertise in flight safety to conduct risk assessments and establish comprehensive operational procedures. A key feature of the control system was the integration of voice notifications and operational support for managing irregularities, aiming to reduce human error.
This innovative setup allowed a single remote pilot to operate five drones across four sites, ensuring safe and efficient performance under varying weather conditions and environments. While the demonstration confirmed the system’s effectiveness, it also identified challenges such as managing simultaneous irregularities, including drone malfunctions and environmental changes. These findings will inform future improvements in system functionality and operations control.
The insights gained from this demonstration will contribute to the development of a robust system for managing simultaneous drone operations. This effort is expected to enhance collaboration between public and private sectors and promote the societal integration of drones.
Background and Purpose
The use of drones in Japan is expanding to address critical social challenges, including labor shortages caused by an aging workforce, infrastructure maintenance, and depopulation in rural areas. Simultaneous operation of multiple drones is seen as a key solution to improve efficiency and reduce labor demands.
Achieving this requires advanced control systems capable of remote, automated operations and real-time monitoring of flight conditions. To address these needs, NEDO has been advancing research and development since 2022, focusing on:
- Defining system and operational requirements for one-to-many drone operations.
- Developing a control system for managing multiple drones simultaneously.
- Securing regulatory approvals for flight demonstrations.
- Conducting simultaneous multi-drone flight tests in various airspaces.
- Exploring the business potential of one-to-many drone operations.