Australian drone manufacturer, Carbonix, has achieved an industry first certification for long-range flight.

Carbonix’ Ottano long-range, fuel-powered drone is now certified at Safety Assurance Integrity Level (SAIL) III for long-range flight.

The company says the certification, accomplished in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), represents a significant breakthrough in how beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations are assessed and approved.

According to the company, the SAIL III certification is an Australian first, and possibly a world first, marking a turning point for both Carbonix and the wider Australian drone sector.

“Australia has developed some of the world’s most advanced drone technology and this milestone shows what can be achieved when industry and regulators work closely together,” said Carbonix founder and CEO Dario Valenza.

“It creates an important pathway toward safe, scalable autonomous aviation operations” in sectors such as remote surveying, critical infrastructure monitoring, and surveillance of mining, energy transmission and gas infrastructure, he added.

Demonstrated long-range reliability

The certification means that long-range drones are closer to being treated like trusted aviation systems rather than experimental technology requiring repeated case-by-case approvals.

The SAIL III framework validates the maturity, reliability and engineering assurance of the drone system itself, making it a known quantity from a risk perspective.

The framework forms part of an internationally recognised approach to autonomous aviation regulation designed to support increasingly sophisticated BVLOS operations.

As part of the certification process, Carbonix was required to demonstrate the reliability of the:

• Aircraft structure and propulsion systems;
• Avionics and communications architecture;
• Manufacturing systems and supply chain; and
• Maintenance procedures and operational documentation.

The Ottano VTOL Power Lift drone has a wingspan of 6.5 metres and is capable of undertaking rapid aerial surveys over very large areas.

The craft can stay aloft for eight hours carrying a 5kg payload, such as high-end LiDAR and 150-plus-megapixel photogrammetry sensors.

Enabling longer-duration missions

After achieving the certification, Carbonix received BVLOS operational approvals across the Surat Basin in southern Queensland — an area approximately the size of Belgium — for operations over gas gathering and pipeline networks for major energy customers.

Those approvals permit Carbonix to conduct large-scale long-range inspection and surveillance missions traditionally carried out by helicopters, light aircraft and ground crews.

According to Carbonix, the company can now move into longer-duration missions, wider area coverage and more efficient asset inspections with reduced reliance on traditional crewed aviation and ground-based operations.

“Replacing crewed aircraft with long-range autonomous drones significantly improves safety, reduces fuel burn and delivers faster, higher-quality data for infrastructure operators,” said Valenza.