MHI Conducts Nighttime and Long-Distance Highway Demonstration Testing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Currently Under Development
-- Tests Confirm the Effectiveness of Safe and Quick Patrols Using UAVs --

Tokyo, December 25, 2024 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), in cooperation with East Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO EAST), recently conducted highway condition check demonstration testing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on the Joban Expressway, managed by NEXCO, during a nighttime road closure. The tests confirmed the effectiveness of using UAVs to conduct patrols on highways in place of conventional patrol cars.

The demonstration testing was conducted on a 10.2 km section of the Joban Expressway between Okuma and Namie interchanges using a small type single-rotor UAV currently under development by MHI's Commercial Aviation Systems segment. The test confirmed that the UAV is capable of automatic nighttime flight at the speed of 50 to 60 km/h stably on the highway, and that its on-board camera can recognize road surface conditions and fallen objects on the highway at nighttime.
In the future, demonstration tests of AI-based automatic recognition of falling objects and simultaneous operation of multiple UAV are planned.
The specifications of this highway demonstration testing UAV are provided below.

Going forward, MHI will continue to contribute to the realization of a safe, secure, and comfortable society by solving various issues associated with UAV.

Specifications of the Engine-Type Small-Size UAV
・Single-rotor type that takes wind resistance (wind speed 20 m/s) into consideration
・Driven by a gasoline engine
・Dimensions: Approx. 2 m x 0.5 m x 0.9 m (length x width x height)
・Flight duration: Up to 2 hours
・Air speed: Cruising speed of 80 km/h (maximum 130 km/h)
・Payload: 7kg (including fuel)

Additional equipment for demonstration testing
・Visible light + Infrared (IR) camera to monitor road conditions
・Lights for road surface illumination, for nighttime flying