It was in the year 1783 that the world’s first unmanned aircraft was invented. It might sound strange but hot air balloons were the world’s first UAVs. Austrian soldiers used unmanned hot air balloons filled with explosives to attack Venice. The world of UAVs has escalated tremendously from hot air balloons.
Today it is synonymous with military activities, construction, agriculture, surveillance, photography, videography, and deliveries.
One of the most promising innovations in the field of UAVs has been BVLOS.
Before we get started with getting in more details about BVLOS, let us have a look at the concepts of VLOS and BVLOS. To start with, VLOS refers to the visual line of sight. That means the UAVs have to be in continuous visual contact with the pilot. This limits the distance to which unmanned aircraft can travel.
On the other hand, BVLOS refers to the Beyond Visual Line of Sight. In a BVLOS operated aircraft, the vehicle does not have to be within the visual range of the pilot, allowing it to travel much longer distances.
The inception of BVLOS drone operations has brought about a revolution in the drone industry. It is expected that the BVLOS drone market will register a CAGR of 15% during the years 2021-29. Several countries are amending their drone policies to allow them to fly beyond the visual line of sight so that they can achieve maximum efficiency.
BVLOS operations are slowly becoming an imperative part of the drone industry. Be it the military sector, communication industry, or the agricultural industry, BVLOS drones are changing the way they operate.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight, operations offer a plethora of benefits over VLOS operations.
They are more energy-efficient, as they need a lesser number of takeoffs and landings to cover the same area. Thus, they optimize the cost of operations and can also be deployed in regions/fields of work that are hazardous to human health.
Not only are they limited to the military activities as in the initial days, but are now used equally in commercial purposes like surveying, aerial mapping, and long haul surveys.
A significant step towards the multi-faceted application of BVLOS systems was a nine-mile transmission line inspection in the US without the use of a visual observer or ground-based surveillance equipment.
The recent nod by Indian Civil Aviation authorities also allowed startups like Dunzo, a hyperlocal delivery platform to test their long-range autonomous drones in the Indian aerospace.
Drones have emerged as a major game-changer in an array of sectors across the globe. However, they have their own limitations in terms of operational guidelines and safety frameworks.
Unmanned vehicles are a relatively new concept hence the lack an SOP for their operations. Besides, device safety is another pressing concern that must be addressed promptly. They must be equipped with adequate instruments and sensors to avoid mid-air collisions with UAVs or other objects.
Another potential threat includes a breach of privacy due to undetected low-altitude flights. UAV crashes in residential areas or a self-corrective course of flight owing to obstacles are also some of the concerns.
A concrete solution must be found for these challenges before BVLOS drone operations can become an inseparable part of our lives.
In a nutshell, there is not an iota of doubt that BVLOS is a multi-sectoral solution to some of the most pressing challenges that we face in the areas of surveillance, mobility, delivery, and many more sectors. BVLOS based UAVs have undergone a rapid advancement to meet the operational, regulatory, and utility-based challenges to enlarge their horizon of work.
They are working in sectors like delivery and surveillance which were unimaginable a decade ago. We are expecting to see major innovations in this field and in the near future BVLOS operations might be able to do tasks that seem impossible to us today.
