Image courtesy: PIB

To facilitate provision of COVID vaccines, food, emergency medicines, etc. in the remote corners, CSIR-NAL (National Aerospace Laboratories), Bengaluru, has indigenously developed a drone-driven aerial delivery facility "Octacopter" with a 15-kg payload capacity. Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences launched the drone-driven aerial delivery facility to transport COVID-19 vaccines on 27 November 2021 in Jammu.

The drone took off on its air journey from the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu to the Government Sub-District Hospital, Marh, Jammu and delivered the vaccines within 20 minutes. CSIR-NAL has developed a medium-class BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) multi-copter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) made of lightweight carbon fibre foldable structure for ease of transportation. It has special features like digital Autopilot with advanced flight instrumentation systems. The Ministry of Civil Aviation, GOI granted conditional permission to CSIR-NAL for conducting BVLOS flight trials on 13 September 2021.

During the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Octacopter drones developed by CSIR-NAL for medical supply delivery will help in better resource management of limited supplies and also facilitate remote and difficult areas with just-in-time delivery.