This is an historic milestone for the civilian professional drone. For the first time, the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) which regulates drones uses in France, has approved a fully-automated drone with no pilot, paving the way to new applications
Azur Drones, European leader in surveillance UAVs, has just received the first and only DGAC approval for a fully-automated drone - Skeyetech system - which takes off from a docking station and requires no remote pilot. This specific approval is unprecedented since any authorized flight scenario in France requires a qualified pilot.
Skeyetech drones can fly over private areas, Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS), day or night, in urban areas, under simple supervision of a remote operator. With this unique approval, the system will be directly operated by a security guard with no pilot license. The drone will thus be used to patrol the area or provide valuable aerial insights in case of an alarm.
"We are very proud of this approval which rewards an 18-month close collaboration with DGAC services. Our system had to comply with the civilian aviation authorities' requirements in terms of safety, reliability and quality. A process that was obviously very demanding due to the fully automated character of our system," explains Stéphane Morelli, Azur Drones Managing Director.
"This unprecedented approval is a landmark event for professional civil drone," adds Jean-Marc Crépin, Azur Drones CEO. "Azur Drones unlocks huge markets that are currently restrained by the complexity of common drone solutions implementation. Unlike standard piloted solutions, our systems are easy-to-use, operational 24/7, precise and reliable."
With this authorization, Azur Drones confirms its leadership and technological excellence. The company aims to make autonomous drone a standard in the security market, in France and overseas. Azur Drones is already under discussions with other authorities in order to get similar approvals in several other countries.
Founded in 2012, Azur Drones is now the European leader in surveillance UAVs. Pioneer in drone solutions with no pilot, the company has developed a fully autonomous drone solution for safety and security applications, even in the most sensitive and complex environments. Skeyetech system is the first autonomous drone in Europe approved by the authorities. It can carry out patrols, reconnaissance flights or assist in crisis situations 24/7.
Based in France, Azur drones collaborates with well-established contractors and authorities in France and abroad (US and Middle East). It is engaged in several strategic partnerships with major actors of security and surveillance market such as Genetec.
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