Ørsted and Skyports Complete Heavy Cargo Drone Trial at Hornsea 2 Wind Farm
· TexaHub · Drones, AI in Industry
A four-week North Sea trial moved maintenance kits of up to 65 kg to active turbines, including the first beyond-visual-line-of-sight delivery inside the wind farm.
Trial Results
Ørsted and Skyports Drone Services completed a four-week cargo drone trial at the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm, DroneLife reported on 8 October. Kits of roughly 55 to 65 kg, holding tools, spare parts and materials for specific tasks, were flown to turbines and collected afterwards [1].
The team developed an automatic hook on the drone's winch so operators no longer attach each bag by hand, Unmanned Airspace reported [2]. The trial included Ørsted's first beyond-visual-line-of-sight cargo delivery within a wind farm, over about 4 km between the service vessel and turbines [1][2].
Operations and Regulation
Skyports CEO Alex Brown said the drones give operators a practical way to cut lifting and vessel movements. Flights ran under UK Civil Aviation Authority oversight, and the CAA's Ed Clay said continued evidence gathering would be vital to routine BVLOS integration [1]. Flights were planned and monitored from the service vessel [2].
Sources
[1] Ørsted and Skyports Trial Heavy Cargo Drones for Turbine Maintenance at Hornsea 2 — DroneLife, 8 Oct 2026
[2] Cargo drones deliver maintenance kits to North Sea wind turbines — Unmanned Airspace, 9 Oct 2026