Locust tests a proposed drone operation in a simulator of the real city before anyone buys aircraft or asks for airspace. You get a proceed, redesign or stop recommendation, with every assumption behind it written down.
Example output from the Cambridge delivery scenario. These are simulation results. No Locust flights have taken place. Method and limitations [12]
Operators, councils and site owners bring a mission: a route, an aircraft and an operating window. Locust models it against the city, the weather and the failure cases, and reports what it would take to fly it safely and economically. Locust does not build aircraft, run hubs or operate drones.
Scope a route assessment ↗Model the route, aircraft, airspace, energy reserve, weather limits and contingency landing options in a simulator of the real city.
Each finding traces to a scenario that can be re-run with the same seed and inputs and give the same result.
When the aircraft, route, demand or rules change, the same scenarios run again and the report shows what moved.
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 recommendation for the route and aircraft as proposed, and the changes that would alter it.
Findings with the scenario, seed and inputs that produced them, so a reviewer can reproduce each one.
The items simulation cannot settle, named so the operator can plan the flight tests and approvals that close them.
Our Cambridge model combines OpenStreetMap buildings and roads, Census 2021 population, the Cambridge Airport flight restriction zone, synthetic merchant demand, battery behavior and weather limits. UK BVLOS operations require an appropriate CAA Operational Authorisation; simulation does not provide one.1
Launch interactive model ↗Population under the route, restricted airspace, demand, hubs and recovery points are modeled together.
Run weather, outage, battery, demand and fleet scenarios before field operations.
Report proceed, redesign or stop, with the scenarios and assumptions behind the call.
Repeat the same scenarios when the aircraft, route or demand changes, and show what moved.
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.
Before any trial is approved, Locust can model the proposed operation over your area: its routes, 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 city model and the route, risk and economic analysis. You bring the aircraft data and operating experience. Together that gives a council and the CAA a reviewable case to assess. We are looking for drone manufacturers and BVLOS operators who want to evaluate a Cambridge operation before they commit to one.
If you build or operate delivery, inspection or logistics drones and have a route in mind, we would like to model it.
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 want to hear from drone manufacturers and BVLOS operators, councils, landowners, logistics teams and early-stage investors.
Contact Locust ↗