D-RisQ is a leading provider of formally assured autonomous software solutions
D-RisQ is proud to announce its integral role in the development of ‘beyond visual line of sight’ (BVLOS) drone operations in partnership with Network Rail and Drone Major.
- UK-first approval: CAA authorises long-range BVLOS drone flights over live rail infrastructure
- D-RisQ’s formal methods software underpins flight safety and autonomous control
- Digital Tethering™ enables precision flight in complex, GPS-denied environments
- Consortium-led trials underway with Network Rail and Drone Major Group
New standard set for high-assurance, safety-critical autonomous systems in the UK Working alongside Drone Major and Network Rail, D-RisQ’s software and expertise enabled the deployment of the Digital Tethering™ concept, which facilitates autonomous drone flights along carefully defined aerial corridors—even in densely built environments or areas where GNSS/GPS signals are unreliable. These operations are designed to detect and deter intrusions on rail networks, improving incident response and significantly enhancing operational safety.
Autonomous drone monitoring could revolutionise this landscape, delivering safer, faster, and more cost-effective responses to threats and disruptions.
D-RisQ has showcased the art of the possible in the development of safety critical autonomy-enabling software. The behaviours expressed in the software reflect the requirements for the drone system’s operational integrity, safety, and assured behaviour. The software has been developed following the guidance in civil aerospace standards RTCA DO-178C and exploits the Formal Methods Supplement DO-333, which we understand is a world first. These tools have been instrumental in cost effectively defining, verifying, and assuring the drone software’s behaviour in line with these software standards. By using D-RisQ's advanced software verification and formal methods tools, the drone system can safely operate Beyond Visual Line of Sight.
The outcome: a high-assurance embedded software system delivered faster and more cost-effectively than traditional approaches. This breakthrough supports future national rollouts of autonomous drone networks capable of reliably monitoring infrastructure in other sectors, such as defence, border management and utilities, responding to real-time incidents and reducing both human risk and infrastructure costs.
D-RisQ, CEO Nick Tudor said “This project demonstrates the transformative power of formal methods applied to real-world safety critical systems challenges. To be enabling the UK’s first approved long-range BVLOS flights over active infrastructure is a proud moment for our team—and a major step forward for autonomous technology adoption across critical sectors.”
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