KDDI and KDDI Smart Drone Successfully Demonstrate Simultaneous Operation of 10 Drones by One Remote Pilot

From March 23 to April 27, 2026, KDDI and KDDI Smart Drone successfully demonstrated the simultaneous operation of 10 drones across multiple regions using a single remote pilot. They validated an operational monitoring system that does not rely on continuous visual monitoring of drone camera footage.

This project was conducted as part of the 'Integrated Research and Development for Commercializing Simultaneous Multi-Drone Operation in Various Use Cases,' under the NEDO 'Project for Realizing Social Implementation of Next-Generation Air Mobility (ReAMo Project).'

In conventional multi-drone operations, pilots needed to constantly watch camera footage, limiting simultaneous flights to about 5 units for safety. In this demonstration, the companies utilized permanently installed drone ports (Skydio Dock for X10) in Hokkaido, Chiba, Tokyo, and Ishikawa. From a Tokyo base, they used a UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) system to centralize telemetry data (e.g., flight status, battery level, altitude) of all 10 drones. This allowed the pilot to safely manage 10 drones simultaneously across different operational environments.

KDDI and its subsidiary aim to build a drone-based social infrastructure by deploying AI-equipped drones to 1,000 locations nationwide, ensuring an AI drone can be remotely dispatched to any location within 10 minutes.

Key achievements include: - Successful 1-to-10 routine flight: Confirmed safe landing and full situational awareness via telemetry. - Multi-anomaly response: Established procedures to detect multiple simultaneous issues (e.g., low battery), prioritize responses, and execute safe emergency landings. - Pilot workload reduction: NASA-TLX assessments visualized that UTM-led telemetry monitoring is effective for sustaining pilot focus and reducing fatigue.