As part of a test phase lasting at least six months, unmanned flights are to take place regularly between several hospitals and laboratories in the Hamburg city area, transporting medical goods such as medicines, laboratory and tissue samples.

Medifly is a joint project of the Hamburg Ministry of Economics and Innovation, FlyNex, GLVI Gesellschaft für Luftverkehrsinformatik, Hamburg Aviation, Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, Lufthansa Technik and ZAL Zentrum für Angewandte Luftfahrtforschung.

Associated partners include the Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg, the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Hamburg, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, ISG Intermed Service, Schön Klinik Eilbek and the Universitätsklinikum-Eppendorf (UKE).

The Asklepios Kliniken Hamburg, the Schön Klinik Eilbek, the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus and the UKE are participating.

The Medifly project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure with a share of 68%. The own contribution is borne by the consortium partners.

The fuselage is 1.55 m long, 1.44 m wide and 0.57 m high. The diameter of the rotor is 2.63 m.

According to the manufacturer, the drone has a sound pressure level of 56 dB, measured at a distance of 5 m at a flight altitude of 2 m above ground. This is roughly equivalent to room noise. At its planned flight altitude, the drone is practically inaudible from the ground. During take-off and landing, it is about as loud as a garden mowing robot.

The drone flies between 100 m and 150 m high.

The cruising speed of the drone is 75 km/h. If necessary, it can fly at speeds of up to 150 km/h. It flies faster with a tailwind; slower with a headwind.

The drone has a maximum take-off weight of 20 kg.

The aircraft selected for the Medifly project was developed according to aviation standards. All important systems are multiple. In addition, the drone is monitored by a remote pilot for the entire duration of the flight.

Medifly’s flight routes extend in a north-south direction from Langenhorn to Harburg and in a west-east direction from Rissen to Barmbek-Süd. 

Not “just like that”. Before the Medifly drone can take off for the first time, an operational authorisation must first be obtained. This involves a great deal of coordination and is subject to stringent conditions. Here, the Medifly team works closely with the Hamburg Civil Aviation Authority and DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung.

The Medifly drone receives its flight route in advance and flies along it automatically. The flight is continuously monitored by a remote pilot who can intervene in the control system in an emergency.

No. The Medifly drone does have a built-in camera. However, this is there for safety, so that the remote pilot can detect any obstacles in the airspace in front of the drone. In addition, the camera helps the remote pilot to recognise in good time whether there are people in the landing area. 

As the drone is electrically powered, it can benefit from an environmentally friendly energy mix. Due to its design, the drone has a much longer range than a multicopter with comparable cargo capacity. This means that it can fly longer and further on one battery charge. The energy required to make the drone is likely to be in the order of a garden mowing robot. The data processing equipment involved has the energy consumption of standard laptops.