Babcock International Group plc, the British aerospace, defence and security company, is now the only operator in Spain with permission to fly commercial drones, weighing more than 25kg, beyond line of sight.

In practical terms this means Babcock Spain can now fly its own design, the LUA drone, in rural areas, night or day, carrying emergency support payloads of up to 5km each trip. Thanks to the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA)’s cross-border arrangements, Babcock’s permissions extend beyond the Spanish borders and into other European countries where enhanced drone flights could make a world of difference to first responder emergency services or those at risk on the ground.

Capable of flying autonomy of up to 4hr, Babcock’s LUA drones can be deployed in less than 10min and are ideally suited to complex emergency missions, and in particular those that require the urgent transportation of medical supplies, such as medicines, blood, and cardio-protection systems.

This approval is the culmination of work by the R&D engineers at Babcock Spain who have developed LUA within the framework of a Civil UAVs Initiative programme promoted by the company’s client, the Galician government’s innovation agency, GAIN.

Jose Luis Saiz, Babcock Spain R&D director said: “With AESA permission now in place we are keen to see how our LUA drone adds a new dimension to our emergency medical response in rural or hard-to-reach areas, or during floods and extreme weather. Babcock will continue to work closely with AESA to ensure the safety of these complex operations.”