Setting the Standard for Safe Agricultural Drone Operations: Italian case study
Safety is not an obstacle to innovation, but it’s what makes innovation sustainable and socially accepted. In the rapidly evolving world of agricultural drones, where technology meets the open field, ensuring the safe integration of complex operations has become a defining challenge. Each new application brings opportunities for improving the efficiency and precision of agricultural operations and for creating new workplaces requiring a highly specialised workforce, but only when supported by rigorous safety management and regulatory compliance.
Risks in Agricultural Drone Operations
Although agricultural drone operations are typically conducted over sparsely populated areas, where the risk to people on the ground may appear limited, several significant safety factors must still be carefully evaluated. These missions often involve the use of heavy UAS performing low-altitude flights over uneven terrain, proximity to farm workers and structures, and the necessity to spray or distribute payloads containing liquids or substances, all of which can increase operational risk. It is important to note that drones used in agriculture for spraying and fertilisation tend to be significantly larger and heavier than those deployed in other sectors. As a result, they are inherently more hazardous, as the higher kinetic energies involved increase the risks associated with their operation. Furthermore, agricultural drone missions often require a range of additional equipment and specialised instrumentation to support their complex tasks, further distinguishing them from lighter, less demanding drone applications.
In line with European aviation regulations, ensuring safety in such contexts requires a structured operational risk assessment supported by appropriate mitigation measures, including geofencing and other fail-safes, system redundancy, and well-defined normal, contingency, and emergency procedures. This approach goes beyond simple regulatory compliance and fosters a safety-orientated culture in which risks are systematically identified, assessed, and mitigated to an acceptable level, enabling innovation in agricultural drone operations to advance responsibly and sustainably.
A Case Study in Safe and Advanced Drone Operations
Within the evolving framework of UA operations in Italy, the collaboration between Unifly Consulting and RESEC represents a noteworthy example of how safety, innovation, and regulatory compliance can converge to enable complex agricultural drone missions. Unifly Consulting, a consultancy with long-standing expertise in aviation safety, regulation, and risk assessment, supported RESEC in the development and authorization of a technically demanding operation involving the DJI Agras T50, a new generation of heavy-lift agricultural drones with a maximum take-off mass exceeding 100 kilograms, capable of both spraying and substance distribution.
The operation aimed to employ the Agras T50 for a specialised agricultural infrastructure activity: the application of reflective paint coatings on greenhouse surfaces. This process, designed to improve light diffusion and optimise internal temperature conditions, offers benefits for crop management and energy efficiency. However, the implementation of such an operation requires meticulous attention to safety considerations, given the drone’s size, payload, and its potential proximity to structures and workers.
In accordance with ENAC’s regulatory framework and the European risk-based approach (SORA – Specific Operations Risk Assessment), Unifly Consulting assisted RESEC in developing a detailed Concept of Operations (ConOps) appropriate for the activity foreseen under an extensive territorial area and conducting the corresponding safety analysis. This work involved identifying operational hazards, defining tailored operational procedures, assessing both ground and air risks, and defining appropriate mitigation and contingency measures to ensure compliance with the acceptable level of safety required for such missions.
"The support provided by Unifly Consulting was invaluable and crucial to our authorisation process. Thanks to their expertise and prompt assistance, we were able to obtain the generic operational authorisation from ENAC required to offer our clients the agricultural services they need, in full compliance with regulations. The process, which is usually complex and involved, was handled with efficiency, professionalism, and entirely reasonable timeframes, enabling our company to operate in complete safety and in accordance with current legislation."
The process concluded with the successful issuance by ENAC of a “generic” operational authorisation, which allows RESEC to perform similar operations across the whole Italian territory. This case demonstrates how the structured application of safety methodologies and regulatory frameworks can effectively enable the use of advanced drone technologies in agriculture, paving the way to the opening of interesting new business opportunities. It also highlights the growing maturity of the Italian UAS sector, where collaboration between industry and regulatory experts continues to set benchmarks for safe and responsible drone operations.
About Unifly Consulting
The consulting branch of Unifly, marking a strategic expansion after the integration of EuroUSC Italia. Our mission is to help shape the future of drone aviation by combining strong expertise in regulations with operations. We provide comprehensive support in the preparation of Design Verification Reports, conduct UAS risk assessments, and offer guidance for CE marking. Through strategic consulting and tailored training, we empower organisations to achieve sustainable growth in the UAS sector.
For more information, please contact us at press@unifly.aero.
