Cornwall can be drone R&D hub – George 

West Cornwall & Isles of Scilly MP, Andrew George, told Defence Ministers that Cornwall can be better used as a major research and development hub for the development of drone technology in the UK’s future defence plans. 

Mr. George raised the matter in defence questions yesterday, citing the cutting edge work of the National Drone Hub based at Predannack airfield on the Lizard. He pointed out that the site has many advantages, not least hundreds of square miles of relatively clear airspace in which to develop new technologies. 

With access to segregated airspace, the National Drone Hub is a good location for testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, as required by the civil aviation authority (CAA). The National Drone Hub believes it is a premier testing facility for cutting edge drone technologies and operational strategies. 

Mr George said, “now that the Defence Investment Plan is finally published, it is quite clear that the Government has rightly identified uncrewed air capability as a primary focus for future investment. This brings the work at Predannack into sharp focus and I hope Ministers will now concentrate attention and resources on developing these capabilities to strengthen UK defences.”