BVLOS test flights in North Dakota advance medical delivery programme

Regular medical deliveries by drone have moved a step closer for residents of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation in North Dakota. 

The University of North Dakota (UND) announced that last month a drone team successfully completed a pair of proof-of-concept beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights between Elbowoods Memorial Health Center in New Town, N.D., and Twin Buttes, N.D. Drone company Valkyrie provided a flight team for the project. The MHA Drone Project is funded by a US Department of Transportation grant.

Normally, people residing in New Town would have to make the nearly two-hour-drive to the health centre to receive medications. Despite some rough weather during the test day, the drone flights demonstrated medications can be delivered in about 25 minutes.

“The success of the proof-of-concept flights was notable in underscoring the capacity to deliver lifesaving medications using uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) in rural and Tribal communities,” said Thomasine Heitkamp, research developer in the office of the UND vice president for Research and Economic Development. Heitkamp anticipates that the lessons learned from these flights will advance future use cases and said there has been a high level of support and community engagement from the MHA Nation.

Mark Askelson, UND associate vice president of National Security and member of the MHA Drone Team, said the flights were conducted along a direct route between the Elbowoods Memorial Health Center and Twin Buttes. “This demonstration showed that drones are able to perform, even in harsh conditions, functions needed by the MHA Nation,” Askelson said. “We are moving closer to realising the promise of drones for rural communities.” He added that involving supporting technologies such as Vantis, the state’s network of towers aimed at enabling routine BVLOS operations, show that such flights are safe and economical.

The MHA Drone Team includes the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation; Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town, N.D.; Elbowoods Memorial Health Center; the University of North Dakota; the Valkyrie uncrewed aerial system (UAS) team; DeTect, a Panama City, Fla.-based company that specialises in advanced radar and related remote-sensing technologies; the Northern Plains UAS Test Site; and Airspace Link, a Detroit-based company that develops software for drone flight planning and operations.