Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japan Post, the national mail service, has announced that it will begin full-scale drone delivery services from next April.
Masaru Nishijima, General Manager of Operation Reform at Japan Post, explained, “By introducing drones we can provide options for speed and low cost. With the capability to fly long distances, we will be able to use them for transport between post offices.”
Drone delivery services will be focused on mountainous areas and remote islands where ground transportation faces particular difficulties.
The timing of this announcement is very much linked to the lifting of the ban on Level 4 drone flights earlier this month, as this will allow Japan Post to utilize air routes over populated areas.
It is acknowledged that stormy weather and weak radio waves in some mountainous areas will be challenges for smooth operations.
The vehicle for the Japan Post deliveries has also been unveiled.
It is a new logistics drone developed by ACSL with a maximum payload of 5 kilograms. It is said to have been designed specifically with Level 4 flights in mind, using aerodynamic optimization. It has a maximum flight range of about 35 kilometers.
The new drone’s capabilities appear to be quite similar to that of the AirTruck being used in Aeronext’s SkyHub delivery services, though its shape is clearly a bit different.
Japan Post, Japan Post Capital, and ACSL formed a capital and business alliance in June 2021, though collaboration on flight tests reaches back to 2017.
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