Press Release
KDDI and JAL to launch Initiative to Realize One-to-Many Drone Operation
Summary
～Aiming for Operational Efficiency with an Eye toward Drone Level4 Operation～
(Joint release)
KDDI CORPORATION
Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
KDDI CORPORATION (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku , Tokyo President and CEO: Makoto TAKAHASHI , hereinafter
KDDI ) and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo, President: Yuji AKASAKA, hereinafter JAL) are collaborating on the development of technologies to realize "one to many drone operation," in which a single operator operates multiple drones,with the goal of turning drones a social infrastructure. (hereinafter This
Initiative)
This Initiative was proposed by KDDI and JAL as a project for the "Development of Elemental Technologies for Aircraft and Systems to Realize One to Many Drone Operations" under Realization of Advanced Air Mobility
Project " by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization ( hereinafter NEDO)NEDO), and was s elected on August 9, 2022.
With the lifting of the ban on "Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight (Level 4 Operation )”, which is
scheduled to go into effect in December 2022, drones are expected to be used as a new aerial infrastructure by companies and local governments in various fields such as logistics, inspection, and disaster response.
KDDI and JAL formed a collaborative alliance in February 2022 (*1) and have been working together to
establish system s for integrated flight management of multiple drones and to examine business models for
supporting the use of drones by companies and municipalities .
This Initiative is aimed at realizing a " One to Many Drone Operation " in response to issues such as labor
shortages and operational efficiency in drone operations.
In this Initiative, we will develop a flight control system that realizes "One to Many Drone Operation" by
combining JAL's expertise in the operations, technologies and knowledge of the air transport business,
including safety management and flight control, with the flight control system that enables remote control and
autonomous flight of drones, which is being jointly developed by KDDI and KDDI SmartDrone Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo President: Masafumi HIRONO) (*2).
In the future, KDDI and JAL will continue to collaborate on the development of social infrastructure for drones,
including this initiative, with the aim of creating a prosperous and sustainable society.
Please refer to the attached sheet for details.
