Heading To A Regional-Led Recovery

As the regions have tended to suffer fewer lockdowns than the major cities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now in better shape to help the country bounce back stronger than before. But overcoming the tyranny of distance is an ongoing challenge for rural Australia.

Take manufacturing for example. In a big city, if an important piece of machinery breaks down a whole production line can grind to halt. Getting the replacement part required to fix the machine happens a whole lot faster in a big city. Often it can be raced across the city in a van or truck in a matter of minutes or perhaps an hour or so.

If the same thing happens to a manufacturer in a small town or a mine, even further from any town, the wait for a replacement part can amount to days, if coming by road. Even if it comes by air, there is still usually a road leg at the beginning and end of the journey.

While air freight can often be within the budget of the bigger companies, those small-to-medium-sized businesses often can’t afford the considerable cost to air freight parts or supplies to them, especially if they need them delivered regularly.

It’s not just parts or supplies – the movement of goods sold by regional businesses, time-sensitive vital medical supplies, perishable goods, and so much more all need to be sent over long distances to keep the wheels of the rural economy turning.

One solution to the problem of covering vast distances with the speed of air but at the cost of road is a new concept gathering momentum called the “middle mile” that involves the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones.

In this model, the vital parts, supplies or goods are shipped initially by road to a “droneport”, loaded onto the UAV and then flown to another droneport close to the end destination, where the final leg is undertaken by road. The longest leg of the journey is therefore taken by air ensuring a speedy and timely delivery.

Dronamics, a European based company, is just one player taking the “middle mile” concept very seriously. Our soon-to-be launched Black Swan UAV will be the most fuel-efficient cargo plane ever built, capable of carrying up to 350 kilograms of freight in one load.

Our company’s model revolves around the establishment of droneports in regional airfields throughout Australia, with each port turned into a hub for this new service.

This regional model gets around the challenge of getting approval to fly drones in and out of busy major airports in crowded cities – a challenge many players have tried to overcome and failed.

With the Black Swan able to take off and land on even unpaved runways as short as 400 metres, it’s not just airfields that will become home to our droneports. They could easily be established at large minesites and adjacent to major manufacturing facilities.

With a “sweet spot” range of between 1,500 – 2,000 kilometres, it is likely we will see our regional skies criss-crossed with Black Swan UAVs in the not-too-distant future.

With a network of droneports covering even the most remote parts of Australia, a fast and efficient delivery network can be established that will bring the speed of airfreight at the cost of road freight.

The benefits to regional Australia will be considerable. The Dronamics model would overcome the tyranny of distance, allowing businesses all over Australia to access fast and affordable small freight deliveries that will keep their mines and manufacturing facilities operating at full capacity.

It will also benefit those regional businesses whose fresh produce and perishables depend on timely delivery to city-based customers.

Not forgetting the potential lifesaving benefits to those in regional Australia whose very survival may depend on receiving urgent medical supplies.

Keeping the lifeblood of outback Australia flowing, commercially and individually, will benefit us all.