The operation of offshore wind farms is not only a technical challenge, but also a logistical one. Wind farm operator EnBW and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) wanted to find out to what extent drones can be integrated into their supply - and called for participation in the Offshore Drone Challenge.
A total of 13 teams applied, four of which were given the opportunity to compete in the final at the National Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Cochstedt. The task set was to complete the individual phases of material transportation to an offshore wind farm in a multi-stage course: From the launch of the drone to the precise placement of the payload. In the end, ADLC (A Drone Logistics Company) from Belgium impressed the jury the most with its overall concept and came out on top against the teams from Flowcopter (Scotland), Solectric (Germany) and Stromkind (Austria).
We would like to congratulate all participants on the successful competition and thank them for the intensive work that has been done to uncover important insights for UAS operations in the context of offshore wind farms. Special congratulations also go to UAV DACH member Phoenix-Wings GmbH, whose PW.Orca cargo drone played a key role in ADLC's winning overall concept.