During the week of March 5, Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) successfully completed its first UAS test flights in the United States at the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York.

Testing was conducted using DDC's Sparrow cargo delivery UAS, which has a lifting capacity of five kilograms. DDC also tested its mission control operations, its proprietary FLYTE management system, and its proprietary DroneSpot Technology, which provides “secure and controlled take off and landing area for users to interact with.”

“Testing at Griffiss was a natural extension for continued progress with our platform in a BVLOS non-segregated airspace environment,” says Paul Di Benedetto, Chief Technology Officer of Drone Delivery Canada.

“An active runway with large aircraft, helicopters, and general aviation aircraft is the latest advancement to our operations team airspace integration efforts and a progression from the knowledge learned during DDC’s Moosonee operations, which remain ongoing. We are pleased to report 100% success rate with all our test flights and look forward to our expansion into the USA which has now begun in earnest.”

Located approximately 300 miles from DDC’s Canadian facilities, the Griffiss International Airport is one of seven FAA designated UAS Test Sites that provides BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Site) Research and Development capabilities and long-distance testing corridors within active airspace.

“I am pleased that Drone Delivery Canada’s testing at Griffiss International Airport was a success and that the company chose our test site for its first ever operation in the United States,” says Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York.

“This partnership is further evidence of how Oneida County is leading the way in the advancement and development of the UAS industry.”

Video footage of the test flights conducted at the Griffiss International Airport can be seen below: