Japan Post launches delivery of paper letters using autonomous drones

Japanese Post announced the launch of a paper mail delivery service using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This was announced on March 13, 2023 by ACSL, which developed a specialized drone commissioned by the postal service.

It is reported that ACSL received a certificate of airworthiness for its drone with the designation of PF2-CAT3 from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism - one of the central departments of the Government of Japan. The presented device is equipped with a fourth-level autopilot system, that is, it is able to function almost completely independently - with minimal intervention from the dispatch center specialists. The drone is allowed to operate in populated areas outside the field of view of the operator. The first test flights are scheduled for the end of March 2023.

UAV PF2-CAT3

From a technical point of view, the PF2-CAT3 drone is a device with six screws. It has dimensions of 1174 × 1068 × 601 mm. The drone itself weighs approximately 5.5 kg, the battery pack - another 3.3 kg. The UAV can carry a payload weighing 1 kg on board: thus, the drone will be able to deliver not only letters, but also small parcels. The horizontal flight speed reaches 10 m/s (36 km/h), the vertical speed is 3 m/s (2 m/s with a decrease). The battery charge will last for 20 minutes with a minimum take-off weight and for 17.5 minutes with a maximum. A safety lander is provided - Nippon Kayaku parachute.

Sending correspondence using drones will help the Japanese Post solve the problem of lack of staff. In addition, the delivery of letters to remote mountainous areas will be simplified and accelerated. The decision to fully deploy the new system will be made after comprehensive testing. drones^[1]

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