Västervik Drone Science Park coordinates a series of advanced groundbreaking drone operations in a comprehensive total defense exercise organized by the Swedish Armed Forces’ Defense Medicine Center (FömedC).
The exercise, named “Sjukvårdsövning 25” (Medical Exercise 25), takes place in various stages over several weeks in May. The exercise is extensive, with hundreds of extras and multiple actors and authorities involved, both national and local. More information can be found here: https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/var-verksamhet/ovningar/okad-totalforsvarsformaga-sjukvardsovning-25/
The exercise is primarily a medical logistics exercise aimed at practicing handling and transporting large flows of patients together with the civil defense. As it is a civil-military total defense exercise, VDSP participates as a civil actor.
-In the early stages, we saw the opportunity to test new technology in the form of drones, primarily in air and land, as part of the exercise. The Armed Forces were positive as it aligns with national strategies for increased civil-military cooperation in several areas to strengthen Sweden’s resilience, says Richard Granberg.
In addition to VDSP’s more than 10 years of experience in testing and demonstrating of drones (UAS), the flights are made possible by Västervik’s unique UAS zone (special drone airspace) covering 1800 km², encompassing all Nordic terrain and infrastructure.
-From an operational perspective, equivalent drone flights would have been very difficult without access to our UAS zone. It enables the necessary permits and allows us to test the technology without disturbances for several weeks before the actual exercise, says Urban Wahlberg.
-Due to confidentiality surrounding the exercise, no detailed information can be shared, but the use cases include innovative and critical drone operations that in the future can help improve medical logistics and rescue operations, says Richard Granberg.
Some overarching examples and drone elements are:
- Autonomous BVLOS flights (flying and performing missions beyond visual line of sight without human intervention) in urban environments for light transport of, for example, medicine, blood, first aid, etc. Participating is Dufour Aerospace, which will fly with its smallest drone AeroMini, a small variant of its ”big brother” Aero2 with about 6 m wingspan, specifically adapted for long-distance drone logistics up to about 400 km/40 kg.
- Heavy drone lifts for transporting injured people using stretchers and realistic mannequins. Participating is ACC Innovation with its Thunder Wasp GT, the world’s most powerful quadcopter with lifts to 400 kg, range depending on load but up to about 4 hours at 80 km/h.
- Ground-based drones for medical transport. Participating is FOI, the Swedish Defense Research Agency.
- Various drone operations by the local rescue service for different missions. Participating is, among others, Västervik Rescue Service, which will use drones for various elements during the exercise.
VDPS look forward to collaborating with our partners and other actors in Medical Exercise 25 to carry out these operations to create a safer and more efficient future for Sweden.
More detailed information about the exercise and drone elements will be presented after the exercise during UAS Forum Sweden on May 20-21 at Gränsö in Västervik. For more information and participation, see www.uasforumsweden.com.
For more information about Västervik Drone Science Park, see www.vastervikdsp.com.
For further information, contact:
Richard Granberg, CEO, Västervik Drone Science Park, richard.granberg@vastervikdsp.com
Urban Wahlberg, Senior Advisor Aero/UAS and exercise manager, urban.wahlberg@vastervikdsp.com
Västervik Drone Science Park (VDSP) is a member of Swedish Incubator & Science Parks (SISP) and is a niche innovation promoter within drones in air, land, and water. VDSP is part of the Västervik Development Center (VUC) foundation and is a business-driven non-profit organization where any profits are reinvested in the business.