Ørsted and Skyports fly 55–65 kg kits BVLOS to North Sea turbines

In short: Ørsted and Skyports Drone Services completed a trial at the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm in which large cargo drones delivered tool-and-parts kits of 55–65 kg (121–143 lb) about 4 km (2.5 mi) BVLOS, with automatic hook pickup and drop. The roughly four-week run coordinated with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

What changed vs earlier trials

Ørsted has tried heavy-lift drones before; this one adds more automated cargo pickup and return to the Service Operations Vessel and proves utility under real ops. Kits go out before technicians arrive and come back after work — replacing some vessel or helicopter logistics.

Why it matters

Offshore maintenance is slow, risky and carbon-heavy when every spare rides a boat. Cargo drones that load themselves and fly BVLOS are a practical wedge into lower cost and higher turbine uptime — adjacent to the same autonomy stack powering industrial AMRs on land.