BIRDS: The drone delivery business model is doing it again

Over the past five years, we’ve been covering the incredible transformation of the drone delivery business model, from the simple idea of ​​delivering a package from a retailer to a consumer, to a complex network of different vehicles, each covering only a portion of the market’s delivery route.

The fascinating problem with this upward evolution is that the companies that survived developed an incredible array of technologies, both hardware and software, that suddenly fit into many other market niches.

A few weeks ago, we reported on the introduction of live monitoring of oil pipeline products by a drone company in Ecuador. This week we learned that another giant in the drone delivery industry, Speedbird, has partnered with Israeli company Cando Drones and High Lander Aviation, a global provider of UAS fleet management and uncrewed traffic management software, to offer a safety solution.

The resulting company is called BIRDS, and we had the honor of speaking with Manoel Coelhos, CEO of Speedbird, and Leo Szterenzys, CEO of BIRDS, to better understand how these three completely different companies come together to create a unique product offering.

“I am proud to lead a company that will revolutionize the security industry in Brazil,” said Leo. “BIRDS is a new concept in air safety. We will build security systems from scratch, tailored to the needs of our clients, using the best hardware and autonomous software to ensure 24/7 protection of facilities of all sizes. By drawing on the expertise of three of the world’s leading UAS companies, we are able to offer a package that is truly unprecedented.

Analyzing the technical capabilities of the three companies, we can conclude that Cando Drones has gained an incredible reputation in Israel for its reliable aircraft and solid uncrewed autonomous flight process, while Speedbird is changing the way parcels are delivered in over ten countries, and High Lander brings to the table, amazing UTM technology (unmanned traffic management) and integrated command centers powered by Orion DFM drone fleet management software.

With these combined capabilities, customers can directly control UAS fleets of any size from the dashboard, as well as autonomous patrols and sensor-triggered dispatch. Features offered by the platform include live image sharing, AI-based object detection and tracking, precision landing, payload control, collision avoidance mechanisms, and more.

“As the first company to provide UAS in Latin America and a leading UAS manufacturer in Brazil, Speedbird Aero brings unique expertise to this project,” Manoel said. “We have many years of experience operating in Brazilian airspace and in-depth knowledge of the Brazilian market. We can therefore say with certainty that BIRDS is more than just an exciting new project – it is the beginning of a new era in security services in Brazil and, in the near future, in the wider LATAM region.”

The main concern when launching a new aviation business model is adapting its processes and technologies to local civil aviation authorities.

“The BIRDS Safety Package includes the regulatory support and tools necessary to navigate the highly developed airspace regulations of the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) and the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA),” Leo said. “This complex set of regulations has always been one of the key challenges for companies operating UAS in Brazil, but for BIRDS customers this will not be a problem as BIRDS’s safety systems will remain coordinated with aviation regulations and laws, thanks to Speedbird Aero’s local knowledge and connections. Moreover, all operations carried out using BIRDS will be under the supervision of Vega UTM, an autonomous unmanned traffic management solution that provides a suite of services enabling the management of remotely piloted aircraft of any scale and in the most complex airspace. Extensively field-tested and compliant with all leading international standards, and proven by experience in managing unmanned aircraft systems in emergency situations across the country – Vega connects operators and authorities to ensure safety and full regulatory compliance.

Brazil is the eighth largest economy and seventh largest country by population, and its rapid recent growth has created a number of security challenges that must be addressed through technology to remain competitive. Selecting which markets to target first was the first task of the BIRDS leadership team.

“BIRDS has developed an implementation package that enables even the largest organizations to implement UAS security technology without disrupting their daily operations,” Leo said. “The process begins with consultation and an in-depth analysis of the organization’s needs and available resources. BIRDS will then deliver the selected equipment or work with equipment already in the organization’s warehouse. Finally, BIRDS will provide UAS pilots and command center staff to operate the security system on behalf of the organization – or if the organization prefers to operate the system in-house, BIRDS can provide full training courses for the customer’s employees.

When asked about the perceived shift away from Speedbird’s core business, Manoel provided a credible and simple explanation: “When we looked at the tools necessary to successfully launch BIRDS, we found that there was a 90-95% technology overlap and at that level it was a wait to sign an alliance and launch a new venture it was unjustifiable.

In other words, the drone delivery model does it again; transforming a range of technologies and processes that were designed to get packages from point A to point B and adapting them quickly and efficiently to meet a different set of customers and goals, while maintaining the reliability of the original intent. Well done!