Locust designs and validates local drone operations before customers buy aircraft or councils commit public space. The output is a route decision, an integration plan and measurable pilot gates, not a speculative network.
Locust simulation outputs, not operational results. Method and limitations [12]
Locust provides the three connected service layers required to move from an idea to a controlled civil-RPAS operation. Customers can begin with simulation alone, then add aircraft and infrastructure only when the evidence supports investment.
Scope a programme ↗Build a decision-grade digital twin of the aircraft, routes, demand, airspace, energy, safety constraints and operating economics.
Select, integrate and configure the aircraft, autonomy, payload, communications and operating procedures for the validated mission.
Design and deploy the physical and digital systems that make repeatable operations possible.
Each engagement ends with a proceed, redesign or stop recommendation. The work is useful even when the correct answer is to keep the mission on the ground.
A versioned evidence pack that identifies the practical aircraft, route, hub, staffing and price envelope.
A configured aircraft and payload system with repeatable bench and hardware-in-the-loop tests.
A hub and control design with accountable people, operating limits and measurable service reporting.
Our Cambridge digital twin combines road data, synthetic merchant demand, flight corridors, battery behavior, weather limits and restricted airspace. UK BVLOS operations require an appropriate CAA Operational Authorisation; simulation does not provide one.1
Launch interactive model ↗Demand, rooftops, no-fly zones, hubs and safe recovery points are modeled together.
Run weather, outage, battery, demand and fleet scenarios before field operations.
Start with selected routes, times and payloads under an agreed operating framework.
Share outcomes and expand only where safety, demand and economics support it.
Every headline number is tied to a route, fleet, demand, tariff and staffing assumption. The current sweep covers 270 physical scenarios and 810 cost evaluations; it contains no Locust flight measurements.12
Scenario output changes with utilization, route length, pricing and fleet assumptions. Figures exclude financing and tax.
We are not asking a city to approve an unlimited network. We propose a jointly designed trial with explicit geography, hours, payloads, weather limits, reporting and pause conditions. The authorised operator remains accountable for the operation and CAA approval.2
See the cooperative compact ↗Geofenced routes avoid sensitive sites and can be changed before deployment.
Publish operating windows, routes, contacts and plain-English performance reports.
Compare road miles, delivery time, energy use, noise and service access.
Weather, safety, noise and incident thresholds pause operations automatically.
We bring the validated digital twin, the route, risk and economic evidence, and the local council and regulatory groundwork for a bounded, geofenced pilot. We're looking for drone manufacturers and BVLOS operators to supply the aircraft and operational capability — a low-risk, evidence-led way to enter a new UK city with the safety case already mapped.
If you build or operate delivery, inspection or logistics drones and want a de-risked Cambridge deployment, let's talk.
Partner with Locust ↗Thresholds are agreed with the operator, customer and council before operations. A miss triggers redesign or pause rather than retrospective justification.
| Decision area | Measure | Proposed evidence | Decision owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | No uncontained loss of control or reserve breach | Flight logs, occurrence record, contingency review | Authorised operator |
| Service | Completion and on-time performance against agreed route target | Accepted, completed, delayed and cancelled missions | Customer |
| Public impact | Noise, complaints and privacy events remain within agreed limits | Acoustic measurements, complaint log, data audit | Council / site owner |
| Economics | Measured cost and labour per completed delivery beat the agreed alternative | Labour, maintenance, energy and infrastructure ledger | Customer / Locust |
| Demand | Enough eligible orders accept the service without unfair pricing | Quotes, accepts, abandonments and basket mix | Customer / council |
We are speaking with drone manufacturers and BVLOS operators, Cambridge-area merchants, logistics operators, public bodies, landowners and early-stage investors.
Contact Locust ↗