The U-ELCOME project connects two U-space airspaces for the first time via drone in a medical transport operation in Andalusia.

We are making history at the ATLAS flight centers! CATEC, as the technical lead of the U-ELCOME project in Andalusia, has contributed to a groundbreaking technological achievement by enabling the transport of medical supplies via drone, connecting two rural towns—Beas de Segura and Villacarrillo (Jaén). This marks the first time that two U-space airspaces have been linked in a medical transport operation using drones in Andalusia. Without a doubt, it is a major step toward a future where technology improves lives.

The project’s goal is to demonstrate how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can provide solutions for transporting medical supplies to remote or difficult-to-access areas, enhancing accessibility. On June 10, a highly successful real-flight demonstration took place, involving coordinated participation from the TARSIS UAS (a fixed-wing unmanned system weighing 75 kg), two multicopter drones, three complete flight teams from the Spanish company AERTEC and the University of Seville, as well as emergency medical transport personnel from the SSG Foundation, alongside CATEC, the company PildoLabs, and the platforms of ENAIRE and ITG (Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia).

Additionally, this marks the first time in Europe that an in-flight control transfer (handover) operation of a fixed-wing drone of this size has been conducted between two stations separated by 23 km.

All operations during the demonstration were monitored in real time through U-space service provider (USSP) platforms developed by ENAIRE and ITG. ENAIRE also acted as the sole common information service provider (CISP), successfully validating the safe integration of these technologies into European airspace.

he event was attended by Lorena Garrido Serrano, Deputy Minister of University, Research, and Innovation of the Andalusian Government; Luis Miguel Carmona Ruiz, Deputy of Employment and Business of the Jaén Provincial Council; Francisco Miralles, Mayor of Villacarrillo; and José Alberto Rodríguez Cano, Mayor of Beas de Segura. Also present were representatives from the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), the 061 Andalusia Emergency Medical Center, Pegasus Aerogroup, and the organizing companies CATEC-ATLAS, AERTEC, and ENAIRE.

As highlighted by engineer Francisco Fernández, coordinator of the project in Andalusia for CATEC, today’s demonstration has proven that a medical logistics network using drones between typically poorly connected towns is indeed possible. In this case, Beas and Villacarrillo. The entire operation was completed in just half an hour, surpassing the time it would take by road. “The real success,” Fernández adds, “is that this use case will be applicable to other towns that are even farther apart and with fewer services.”

An incredible milestone for the future of drone technology and healthcare logistics!