Police Drone Trial in the Severn Estuary - May 2025

Описание: A six-month trial for a police drone powered by a Wankel engine is proposed for an area near the Severn Estuary, close to Bristol. The 200kg drone will operate Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), meaning it will be controlled remotely.

Sponsored by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) in collaboration with an unnamed commercial supplier, the trial aims to replace current helicopter operations with a drone.

The specific drone has not been identified yet. The proposal describes it as an uncrewed aircraft with a rotary wing, a maximum take-off mass of 200kg, and a single-disc Wankel rotary engine (Jet A-1) allowing it to stay airborne for up to 6 hours, carrying a payload of up to 34kg. A similar model, the Scheibel Camcopter S-100, is already used by the Royal Navy.

Avonmouth Helipad, located on the edge of the Severn Estuary, will serve as the launch and landing site, facilitating both overwater and overland flying.

The trial will take place in Class G airspace, extending up to 4,000 feet above mean sea level (amsl), with vertical limits from the surface to 1,700 feet amsl. Most operations will occur between 900 and 1,200 feet amsl, with the drone typically flying at around 1,000 feet amsl. All flight routes will be pre-planned, and Bristol ATC will be notified before each launch.

The majority of the activities will take place at night, from 22:00 to 04:00 local time, with daytime operations planned for the final phase. Daytime flying will be limited to a maximum of two weeks, Monday to Friday, between 10:00 and 15:00. Access to the trial area may be granted to other cooperative aircraft, with prior agreement from NPAS and communication with Bristol ATC.

Flights above 1,700 feet amsl will not be affected by the trial.

The proposal, ACP-2024-035, is currently in the ‘Engagement’ stage, with feedback being accepted via email at [email protected]. The engagement period ends on Sunday, 22 December 2024.