Urban Ascent will outline how UK cities can get ready for and embrace the upcoming generation of air mobility services, such as electric air taxis and drone deliveries. This project will create a roadmap for scalable operations, regulations, and infrastructure that will enable the safe and sustainable integration of drones and eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) into daily urban life, with a particular focus on Coventry and the West Midlands. Coventry University, Skyfarer, Altitude Angel, The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and SlinkTech are among the innovative UK organisations that are part of Urban Ascent, which is led by Coventry City Council. To make sure that new aerial technologies satisfy practical needs, the project will interact with a variety of end users, including emergency services, estate managers, NHS Trusts, and logistics teams. The project will explore: * What infrastructure (such as vertiports and take-off/landing sites) is needed in cities * How safety, automation, and air traffic systems can be integrated with local planning and transport networks * How regulatory frameworks---both aviation and non-aviation---can be aligned to enable operations * What economic, environmental, and social benefits these services can deliver to the public Urban Ascent will set the groundwork for cities throughout the United Kingdom to become "drone-ready" by generating a comprehensive Concept of Operations (ConOps), an investment-grade business case, and a proven infrastructure framework. A technological demonstration in the real world will also be part of the project, showcasing SlinkTech's automated PORTAL system for drone and eVTOL landing safety. Urban Ascent expands on Coventry's demonstrated history of advancing transport innovation, which includes the first eVTOL hub demonstration in the UK and the first medical drone delivery trials. Technical know-how in engineering design, public sector integration, and unmanned traffic management underpins it. The project's results will be disseminated across the country, assisting in the formation of public policy, directing upcoming investments, and empowering the UK to take the lead in the creation and application of advanced air mobility technologies. From September 2025 to March 2026, Urban Ascent, which is supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge, will provide innovative, inclusive, and useful solutions for air transport in our towns and cities.

Our end-goal is a Welsh medical drone delivery network (MDDN) that increases NHS operational flexibility and improves connectivity for all health and social care providers across Wales. To accelerate development of the UK drone sector toward this goal, our project team, Snowdonia Aerospace LLP, Volant Autonomy Ltd, SLiNK-TECH Ltd, and Skyports Deliveries Ltd, seeks to (i) make tangible advancements in regulatory policy concepts for use of drones in UK airspace in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and (ii) start the scaling up of existing commercial delivery use cases with the Welsh Blood Service and Welsh Ambulance Service. There are three key elements to Project "Dragon's Heart": * We will integrate autonomous flight guidance software on a novel ground-based surveillance radar and medical delivery drone that together delivers an Airborne Collision Avoidance System for small Uncrewed aircraft (ACAS sXu) capability. Testing will be conducted in the Special Use Airspace at the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre and will represent the first-ever UK flight trial of a fully autonomous, safety-assured, point-to-point detect-and-avoid (DAA) system. * We will also implement prototype autonomous vertiport infrastructure at the Welsh Blood Service headquarters, Talbot Green, and northern stock-holding unit, Wrexham, to enable demonstration flights that will showcase the potential for commercial exploitation, allow NHS staff to gain familiarity with the ground infrastructure and concept of operations, and form the basis for public engagement events. * Finally, we will support engagement activities with Welsh Government, NHS leadership and Local Authorities, facilitate collaboration with a parallel Economic and Social Research Council-funded University of Birmingham project, and ensure a coherent approach to governance, planning and public acceptability to make Wales "drone-ready". Successful conclusion of this project will enable a prototype service to be established with confidence as an immediate follow-on programme in 2026\.

This project brings together three innovative UK companies - Idroneinnovations, Leading Edge Power, and SlinkTech to create a new generation of automated drone systems designed to make critical infrastructure inspection, emergency response, and public safety operations safer, faster, and more cost-effective. The project will develop and demonstrate a modular, flexible drone platform that can work with different types of drones and equipment, making it easier for organisations like emergency services and infrastructure operators to use drones as part of their everyday operations. By focusing on open standards and interoperability, the system will allow multiple drones from different suppliers to be managed and operated together, a significant step forward from current single-vendor solutions. Leading Edge Power will design and build robust docking station shrouds and off-grid power systems, ensuring drones can be deployed reliably in all kinds of environments, from city centres to remote locations. SlinkTech will develop advanced safety solutions for drone landing zones and oversee the project's delivery, ensuring that all operations meet the highest standards for safety and compliance. Evolve Dynamics will provide the latest drone technology for trials and help integrate these drones into the new system. The project will include real-world trials with UK emergency services and infrastructure operators, gathering valuable data to help shape future regulations and ensure the system meets the needs of its users. All findings and best practices will be shared with the Civil Aviation Authority and the wider industry to support the safe and responsible growth of the UK drone sector. By making drone operations more accessible, reliable, and safe, this project will help unlock the benefits of drones for society, reducing costs, saving time, improving safety, and supporting the UK's goals for innovation and carbon reduction. The work will also support new jobs and skills development in advanced manufacturing, software, and drone operations across the country. This project aims to set a new standard for drone automation in the UK, demonstrating how collaboration, innovation, and a focus on real-world needs can drive the future of flight.

**PORTAL** - _The infrastructure launchpad for the future of flight_ To unlock the Future of Flight (FoF) potential and realise the 2% uptick in GDP (PWC forecast), scalable infrastructure to enable landing and take-off needs to be developed. PORTAL is a disruptive system-of-systems approach to infrastructure technology for vertiports, and this project will develop the technology needed to safely deploy landing locations at scale. By leveraging automation to manage drone traffic through on-ground situational awareness and connectivity, locations can reduce specialist staff, and in-turn, reduce operational costs. PORTAL will make it easy for any business to become a drone capable business, and will be able to serve new bespoke vertiports, be retro-fitted for installations on car parks, roof tops. If the advantages of VTOL aviation are to be realized in a sustainable and future proof way, it is essential to invest in the infrastructure of vertiports: not just pads but safe, efficient, scalable, and resilient systems to transition people and goods from ground to air and _vice versa_. This is exactly the focus of this proposal: efficiency and scalability arising from detailed design optimisation of vertiport systems offering high throughput flight capacity in a modular format. Safety and resilience are provided by precise monitoring and control, not just of air vehicle movements but of all the associated ground handling operations in the immediate air and ground environments. SLiNK-TECH, leading the project, will further develop their existing situational awareness and vertiport management capability, and integrate advanced sensing technology (Cambridge Sensoriis Ltd), innovative guidance beacons (R4DAR Technologies Ltd) and secure-by-design communications (ANGOKA Ltd). University of Bristol will be supporting the project with research into the airspace operational logic, supporting data analytics and providing flight test facilities through their Robotics Flight Lab. Snowdonia Aerospace Centre & Auriga Aerospace Ltd will provide operational support for the larger scale, harsh operational environment demonstrations featured during the project. [][0] [][1] [0]: #_msoanchor_1 [1]: #_msoanchor_5

**PORTAL** - _The infrastructure launchpad for the future of flight_ To unlock the Future of Flight (FoF) potential and realise the 2% uptick in GDP (PWC forecast), scalable infrastructure to enable landing and take-off needs to be developed. PORTAL is a disruptive system-of-systems approach to infrastructure technology for vertiports, and this project will develop the technology needed to safely deploy landing locations at scale. By leveraging automation to manage drone traffic through on-ground situational awareness and connectivity, locations can reduce specialist staff, and in-turn, reduce operational costs. PORTAL will make it easy for any business to become a drone capable business, and will be able to serve new bespoke vertiports, be retro-fitted for installations on car parks, roof tops. If the advantages of VTOL aviation are to be realized in a sustainable and future proof way, it is essential to invest in the infrastructure of vertiports: not just pads but safe, efficient, scalable, and resilient systems to transition people and goods from ground to air and _vice versa_. This is exactly the focus of this proposal: efficiency and scalability arising from detailed design optimisation of vertiport systems offering high throughput flight capacity in a modular format. Safety and resilience are provided by precise monitoring and control, not just of air vehicle movements but of all the associated ground handling operations in the immediate air and ground environments. SLiNK-TECH, leading the project, will further develop their existing situational awareness and vertiport management capability, and integrate advanced sensing technology (Cambridge Sensoriis Ltd), innovative guidance beacons (R4DAR Technologies Ltd) and secure-by-design communications (ANGOKA Ltd). University of Bristol will be supporting the project with research into the airspace operational logic, supporting data analytics and providing flight test facilities through their Robotics Flight Lab. Snowdonia Aerospace Centre & Auriga Aerospace Ltd will provide operational support for the larger scale, harsh operational environment demonstrations featured during the project. [][0] [][1] [0]: #_msoanchor_1 [1]: #_msoanchor_5

DigitalEYE is a next-generation ground control system developed by SLiNK-TECH which will enable high capacity future flight operations. It will provide critical landing zone situational awareness for mixed use airspace, with integrated UAM and drone/UAS operations. We will ensure safe operations through digital observation, connectivity and monitoring for deployment of air vehicles in temporary or permanent landing sites. DigitalEYE is being developed to meet the needs of a wide range of mixed-air operations including Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and UAS/drone operations. When deployed, the system will enable situational awareness for varied uses cases. The project is aimed at lowering the barrier to entry for businesses needing to add mixed-air operations to their offerings. For this FFC Strand 1 Project, SLiNK-TECH will partner with the University of Bristol (UoB) Flight Lab to provide a proof of concept demonstration for the integrated DigitalEYE system. The rapid development program will conduct a series of live trials at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory & UoB Fenswood Outdoor Flight Facility. We will prove the technology concept and lay the groundwork for future industry collaborations both through the Future Flight Challenge and in external partnerships. SLiNK-TECH's DigitalEYE is a vital key enabler of high capacity future flight operations. This FFC Strand 1 Project will provide the data and key systems integration required to partner with larger scale operators in future FFC projects and external industrial initiatives. Air vehicle ingress, egress and ground operations is a high-risk element for flight operations, and DigitalEYE is a vital component of ensure smooth and safe transition to mixed use of high-density air space operations.