Airspection endurance inspection drones

Airspection is a Glasgow-based drone start-up, founded in 2022 by Matthew McLean while he was a student at the University of Strathclyde. It specialises in reaching hard-to-access infrastructure by flying endurance drones from safe locations such as the shore.

The company offers inspection and logistics services using rugged VTOL aircraft designed to fly farther, hover longer and operate in tougher weather. Target sectors are offshore wind, onshore wind, powerlines, rail and search and rescue. It is one of six projects in the UK CAA BVLOS sandbox.

• Endurance drones: VTOL aircraft built to fly farther and hover longer.
• Shore-launched BVLOS flights: inspection from land to offshore assets.
• Weather resilience: designed for operation in strong wind.
• Inspection services: offshore wind, onshore wind, powerlines and rail.
• Logistics and search and rescue: payload delivery and rescue support from the same platform.

Inspection of offshore wind turbines launched from the coast of southern Vietnam. Survey of high-voltage transmission lines crossing remote terrain. Inspection of railway corridors and spot payload delivery to remote sites.

Keeps people off site during inspections (0 persons at risk per the company site). Company claims 2x inspection speed and 25% better accessibility. Company reports roughly 1 tonne of CO2e saved per turbine inspected. Company-reported figures are not independently verified.

Offshore wind and long linear assets are costly to inspect by boat, helicopter or rope access, which pushes operators toward beyond-visual-line-of-sight drones. Vietnam's planned offshore wind build-out and its long transmission corridors point to similar needs.

Founded 2022 in Glasgow, UK. Supporters listed on its site include Scottish Enterprise, Net Zero TC and STAC. One of six projects selected for the UK CAA BVLOS sandbox in August 2024. Offshore Wind Growth Partnership helped fund the Liverpool Bay work.