Drones and unmanned aircraft will be able to fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft under plans announced by Blue Bear Systems Research Ltd and Cranfield University.

The partners intend to create the NBEC (National Beyond visual line of sight Experimentation Corridor), which will stretch across Bedfordshire from Blue Bear’s headquarters in Oakley to Cranfield University’s airport.

Bringing together their respective capabilities, the team members will be able to combine the best of academia with the best of industry, creating what will be a UK first.

The goal of the NBEC is to provide a safe and managed environment for drone and unmanned aircraft experimentation that will work towards their integration into controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

Both Blue Bear and Cranfield believe the key to future drone operations is not segregation but unification, thereby ensuring “fair and equitable use of airspace for all”.

Ian Williams-Wynn, managing director of Blue Bear (www.bbsr.co.uk), said: “The UK drone industry is going through an exciting evolution and is poised for growth.

“Operation under BVLOS — beyond visual line of sight — alongside co-operative and non-co-operative air traffic in a managed environment, provides a unique opportunity to maintain the UK at the forefront of drone application development and future adoption.”