Staggering to see the extent to which China ~ and to a similar extent the US ~ are powering ahead of Europe in the 'low altitude' economy.
In the Bay Area of the former, hundreds of such drones ~ tho' we know about LIFT + CRUISE configurations too ~ shuttle parcels between cities at twice the speed it took in a van. Here in the UK in contrast the CAA has a wet dream whenever a drone makes it to the Isle of Wight with a box of pills.
Crucial to the venture according to the manufacturers are reliable navigation to fly from A to B, along with equally reliable flight-controllers and AI systems to optimise the network.
And it's not just cargo drones they're turning out in the hundreds and thousands but agricultural and fire-fighting drones that are up to fifty times more efficient than the manual labour that would otherwise be required.
And the principal export market for such products? Three quarters go to the Far and Middle East, where manufacture is not something parents steer kids away from because money lies in the talk-talk occupations from which our politicians emerged.
