- Received the first drone type certification from a foreign company.
- The approval allows commercial BVLOS operations in populated areas.
Tokyo, Japan / Weiterstadt, Germany – Wingcopter applied for and received approval to initiate the type certification process for the Wingcopter 198 delivery drone in Japan with the support of ITOCHU Corporation. This is the first case where a foreign company's drone and fixed-wing drone has received type 1 unmanned aerial vehicle type certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. .
Upon successful completion of type certification, the Wingcopter will be cleared to perform flights equivalent to Level 4. Level 4 refers to flights beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) over populated areas and significantly expands the application range of drones. This will make Wingcopter and its partner ITOCHU one of the first companies to begin commercial BVLOS operations in Japan. Due to its aging population and secluded landscape, including many inhabited islands, the country is considered one of the world's largest markets for drone deliveries in the future.
ITOCHU and Wingcopter will use the Wingcopter 198 to build a drone delivery network and service that can provide an aerial bridge to overcome a variety of social challenges by quickly and environmentally friendly transport of essential and urgently needed goods over many kilometers and difficult terrain. We aim to do so.
Florian-Michael Adolf, Head of Wingcopter Certificationcomment: “This milestone marks an important step forward in making commercial drone delivery a reality in Japan and beyond. At Wingcopter, we strive for type certification, which highlights our commitment to the safety of our products, as well as the diligence and professionalism of our entire team. We would like to thank our ITOCHU partners for supporting this process with their extensive knowledge, networks and resources.”
Masaharu Sato, Deputy Director, Aerospace Department, ITOCHU CorporationAdd the following: “We see great potential for Wingcopter’s delivery drones to make life better for everyone, and we are excited about the promising progress we are making in realizing this value. We are honored to work with Wingcopter's dedicated professionals, led by the management team centered around Tom, Jonathan and Ansgar. We look forward to continuing this exciting journey together.”ITOCHU, Wingcopter's long-time business partner and investor, will conduct multiple proof-of-concepts under special permission pending the expected type certification.
In May 2023, Itochu and Wingcopter successfully conducted a verification experiment for the first time in Japan to implement medical blood product transportation using Wingcopter's delivery drone. In addition to type certification efforts in Japan, Wingcopter is currently undergoing FAA type certification. This will unlock enormous commercial potential in the North American market as well.