Dragon’s Roar” (“Rhuo Ddraig”), wins Chief Scientific Advisor’s Innovation Award for Social Impact at UK Department of Transport (DFT) Innovation Expo

Snowdonia Aerospace LLP is delighted to announce that our Connected Places Catapult (CPC) Drone Technology Research & Innovation Grant (D-TRIG) project, “Dragon’s Roar” (“Rhuo Ddraig”), has been selected as the winner of the Chief Scientific Advisor’s Innovation Award for Social Impact at the recent UK Department of Transport (DFT) Innovation Expo.
 
“Dragon’s Roar” is a collaboration between Snowdonia Aerospace (SAC), Swiftflight Avionics and WaveMobile to integrate an innovative airborne radio technology onto a light drone to create a 4G/5G network-in-the-sky for operation in areas of poor mobile signal connectivity – so-called “not spots” – that can be used by Emergency Services to locate missing persons and coordinate with ground personnel to effect a rescue.

Lee Paul, Snowdonia Aerospace CEO, said: “SAC was one of six SMEs across the UK who were awarded funding to undertake early-stage R & D studies on the integration of drones into UK airspace under the DfT Technology Research Innovation Project. We’re delighted that the selection panel chose SAC as the winner of the Award as the Project provided a strong case for contribution to DfT’s Strategic Priority to improve transport for the end user, there was a realistic roll-out plan illustrating a strong need for the adoption of the proposed technology in the marketplace and the Project provided both short term and long term progression to full commercialisation of the technology being developed.”

Jeremy Howitt, Snowdonia Aerospace Future Flight Lead, said: “We ‘d like to acknowledge the excellent support that we’ve received from O2 Telefonica, Welsh Government, Snowdonia Mountain Rescue, North Wales Police and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the development of this project and we’re very much looking forward to starting flight testing of this exciting new technology over Snowdonia as part of the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge Phase 3 in early 2022”.