For the first time in German offshore airspace, long-range autonomous and short-distance cargo drones have been successfully tested in the daily operations of offshore wind farms. In a multi-phase pilot project, RWE demonstrated how different drone types can deliver spare parts, tools and consumables to offshore sites.
The trials took place at RWE’s Nordsee Ost wind farm, located north of Heligoland, and at the Arkona wind farm in the German Baltic Sea. Project partners included Skyways, developer of long-range autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft; Skyports Drone Services, provider of drone-based delivery and inspection operations; and Ampelmann Operations, a Dutch offshore access company.
Three trial series were conducted in 2024 and 2025 to test the potential of drone logistics in challenging offshore conditions. The latest trials, held in September on the island of Rügen, involved Skyways’ Version 2 drone flying autonomously from Mukran Port to the Arkona wind farm, a distance of over 40 kilometres. Each flight carried up to 10 kilogrammes of cargo, which was automatically delivered to the turbine nacelle before the drone returned to its launch point. The entire flight took less than 30 minutes and was monitored by Skyports pilots.
Earlier in 2025, RWE tested short-distance deliveries between a service operation vessel and turbines at Nordsee Ost, using an electric multirotor drone carrying payloads of up to 30 kilogrammes. This drone is now capable of handling loads of up to 100 kilogrammes.
RWE’s cargo drone project has completed more than 80 offshore flights. With technical feasibility confirmed, the company now plans to expand and scale up drone operations.
Photo Skyports
