Sky-Drones and Standard Link Establish Strategic Partnership and Exclusive Distribution Rights in Japan

From Remote Island Logistics and Medical Delivery to Defense ISR - Addressing Japan's Social and Security Challenges with BVLOS-Capable VTOLs Flying Up to 15 Hours on Hydrogen Propulsion

SkyLane-650H - Flagship VTOL Boasting a Maximum Payload of 45kg and a Flight Time of 14 Hours (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

Standard Link Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nihonbashi Koamicho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "SL") has entered into a strategic partnership with Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd (Headquarters: London, UK; hereinafter "Sky-Drones"), a UK-based drone technology company with a proven track record of being adopted by Honeywell Aerospace Technologies' UAV fleet (*1) and designated as the sole supplier for procurement by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (*2). SL has also acquired exclusive distribution rights for Sky-Drones' products in Japan.

Starting with the deployment of Sky-Drones' world-leading VTOL platform in the Japanese market, SL aims to evolve this into an integrated solution optimized for the Japanese market, encompassing everything from remote island logistics and medical delivery to defense and security, by integrating SL's sensor technologies such as AI image analysis and color night vision in the future.

About Sky-Drones Technologies - Drone Platforms Recognized Worldwide, from Logistics to Defense

Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd is a drone technology company established in London, UK, in 2011. It is one of the few full-stack UAS manufacturers globally that develops its own airframes, flight controllers, cloud fleet management software, and AI algorithms. Its technological capabilities have been proven in a wide range of fields, from logistics to defense.

Demonstration of BVLOS Autonomous Delivery

- In 2025, a successful demonstration of fully autonomous BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) delivery of products from a major global fast-food chain was conducted using the SkyLane-350. The high-precision delivery was completed with AI-assisted autonomous navigation, demonstrating the feasibility of fully unmanned operations in the logistics sector.

Building a High-Speed Transportation Network Between the English Channel Islands

- As part of the ALIAS project under the UK government's Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge Phase III, efforts are underway to build a drone-based high-speed transportation network between Guernsey and Jersey. A new infrastructure for the transport of goods and medical supplies between islands is being demonstrated through BVLOS operations using 5G and satellite communications. The company has been selected for three projects: RISE, ALIAS, and BLUEPRINT.

Deployment in Medical Delivery and Maritime Logistics

- SkyLane is designed for the delivery of urgent medical supplies such as pharmaceuticals, test reports, and organs. Its technology partner, F-Drones, utilizes the company''s LTE connectivity technology to achieve zero-emission delivery of supplies to ships and offshore oil rigs using fully electric VTOLs. Honeywell Aerospace Technologies Adoption (*1) - The SkyLane-350 VTOL has been delivered to Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, a world-leading aerospace company, and is being utilized as the core platform for flight testing and technological demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell systems, satellite communication systems, and navigation in GPS-denied environments. A Honeywell executive described the SkyLane-350 as the "workhorse for test & demonstration activities."

Designation as Sole Supplier by U.S. NOAA (*2)

- The U.S. federal agency NOAA has publicly announced a sole-source contract for the procurement of the SkyLane-350, stating that "Sky-Drones is the sole manufacturer of this equipment, and the payload flexibility offered by the SkyLane-350 cannot be achieved by other drone manufacturers."

SkyLane Platform - World's Most Advanced VTOL Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aircraft for Delivery and Surveillance

SkyLane is a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) fixed-wing unmanned aircraft platform optimized for long-range BVLOS operations. Featuring a lightweight, high-rigidity all-carbon fiber body and advanced autonomous flight capabilities centered around the proprietary AI flight controller "AIRLink," it can handle tasks ranging from cargo delivery to ISR missions on a single platform.

Product Lineup:

AIRLink - Autonomous Flight Controller with Edge AI:

A world-leading drone avionics system that integrates autopilot, AI mission computer, and 5G/LTE connectivity into a single unit. The onboard "Edge AI" performs real-time object detection and tracking, image enhancement, and behavior prediction, independent of communication environments. Its open architecture, compatible with both PX4 and ArduPilot, allows for the implementation of third-party AI and custom software, with a Government Edition also available for government and defense applications.

SMARTAP AIRLink 5G - Proprietary Avionics Integrating Autopilot, Edge AI Mission Computer, and 5G Connectivity (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

ATLAS Handheld - Industrial Handheld Ground Station: A rugged, lightweight, IP-rated body integrating a high-performance computer, broadband data link, HD video transmission, LTE connectivity, and touchscreen. A single field operator can manage aircraft control, video confirmation, and mission changes.

ATLAS Handheld - Industrial Handheld Ground Station Integrating High-Performance Computer and HD Video Transmission (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

Software Ecosystem Completing Three Layers: Onboard, Field, and Cloud: The three layers - onboard (AIRLink Edge AI), field (ATLAS Handheld Ground Station), and cloud (Sky-Drones Cloud for fleet management, UTM, and flight analysis) - are integrated as a single ecosystem, operable from any device including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. While vertically integrating aircraft, avionics, and cloud from a single company, its openness to third-party AI and software implementation is a distinct feature of Sky-Drones.

Sky-Drones Software Ecosystem Operating on All Devices (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

Advantages in Defense and Security Applications: With navigation capabilities in GNSS-denied environments, integrating Honeywell's tactical-grade IMU, speed radar, andinfiniDome's GPS jamming protection, reliable flight is ensured even in environments where GPS is intentionally jammed. Equipped with a high-performance EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) gimbal camera, it supports reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) missions. Furthermore, Sky-Drones possesses multi-aircraft simultaneous operation (swarm) technology using AI-driven mesh networks, delivering operational effects exceeding single-aircraft operations for wide-area surveillance and search missions.

SkyLane Swarm - Multi-Aircraft Simultaneous Operation via AI-Driven Mesh Network (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

X-Series Multicopter - Fixed-Wing and Rotary-Wing on the Same Platform: In addition to the SkyLane fixed-wing VTOL, Sky-Drones also offers the "X-Series" carbon fiber multicopter, equipped with the same AIRLink avionics and cloud ecosystem. Ideal for hovering-dominant missions such as precision inspection and localized surveillance, combining fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities on a single operational platform allows for対応 to all mission profiles, from long-range to short-range.

X-Series - Carbon Fiber Multicopter Equipped with AIRLink (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

Opportunities in the Japanese Market - The Intersection of the Rapidly Expanding Drone Logistics Market and Societal Challenges

Japan is currently at a historic turning point where the societal implementation of drone logistics is beginning in earnest. SL is confident that Sky-Drones' long-range BVLOS-capable VTOL platform can play a decisive role in this massive market.

Logistics Crisis in Remote Islands and Depopulated Areas: Japan, as one of the world's leading island nations with approximately 14,000 islands (as announced by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan in 2023), faces challenges in maintaining stable logistics networks through conventional land and sea transport due to population decline and aging in rural areas and remote islands. In Japan, regular drone delivery of pharmaceuticals and daily necessities to remote islands is already becoming a routine operation, and drone logistics is shifting from being "convenient to have" to an "essential infrastructure for daily life."

Logistics Problem 2024: The strengthening of regulations on overtime work for drivers is making a reduction in transport capacity a reality. While demand for home delivery continues to increase year by year due to the expansion of the e-commerce market, driver shortages are chronic. Last-mile delivery by drones is attracting attention from the entire industry as a promising solution to this structural issue.

SkyLane's Suitability: The SkyLane-350's range of 500km and payload of 7kg are ideal specifications for inter-island delivery in Japan. The inter-island high-speed transport network that Sky-Drones is demonstrating between the Channel Islands (Guernsey-Jersey) serves as a model case that can be applied to remote island logistics in Japan. Furthermore, the hybrid SkyLane-650H can transport up to 45kg of cargo for 14 hours, supporting the transport of large items and long-distance routes. These aircraft can be operated simultaneously under centralized fleet management and UTM (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management) integration by Sky-Drones Cloud, supporting scalable deployment as a regional logistics network.

Sky-Drones Cloud - Real-time Airspace Monitoring and Multi-Aircraft Fleet Management with UTM Integration (Source: Sky-Drones Technologies)

SL's Vision - Bringing the World's Best Technology to Japan, and Beyond

While starting its business with the exclusive distribution of Sky-Drones products in Japan, SL aims to build integrated solutions by combining them with the advanced technologies SL possesses in the future.

SL holds multiple patents related to its proprietary technologies such as AI image analysis, color night vision, and multi-sensor fusion. By combining these technological assets with Sky-Drones' high-performance VTOL platform, new value will be created in the following wide range of fields:

Edge AI x Cloud AI - A Foundation for Technological Integration Unseen in Japan:

AIRLink is a rare open-architecture AI avionics system globally, open to third-party AI implementation. SL plans to implement its patented AI image analysis and color night vision technologies on both the onboard Edge AI (AIRLink) and Cloud (Sky-Drones Cloud) layers in the future. This will enable real-time AI analysis completed onboard, even in remote islands, at sea, or at disaster sites where communication is limited, as well as Cloud AI analysis across the entire fleet. A vertically integrated platform from aircraft to avionics to cloud from a single company, yet open to external AI implementation, does not exist in Japan, securing SL's unique position to deploy Japanese AI technology.

Logistics and Medical Delivery:

Delivery of pharmaceuticals, daily necessities, and emergency supplies to remote islands and depopulated areas, regular deliveries to remote clinics, urgent medical transport of test samples and blood products, and delivery of supplies to ships (Ship-to-Shore). Long-range BVLOS capabilities and fully autonomous flight will realize new logistics infrastructure replacing ferries, land transport, and helicopters.

Infrastructure Inspection, Agriculture, and Environmental Monitoring: Long-distance inspection of power lines, pipelines, bridges, and offshore wind power generation; growth monitoring of large agricultural areas; and environmental monitoring of forests, rivers, and coastlines. BVLOS capabilities and AI image analysis will significantly improve the efficiency and safety of operations that have relied on manual labor or helicopters.

Defense and Security:

Long-duration ISR missions for island surveillance, maritime surveillance of territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, and protection of critical infrastructure. Future integration with SL's color night vision technology is expected to dramatically enhance surveillance capabilities in nighttime and low-light conditions.

Economic Security:

SkyLane is designed and manufactured in the UK (a Five Eyes alliance member), aligning with Japan's policy to reduce reliance on drones from specific countries that pose security risks. Through SL's exclusive distribution in Japan, a secure supply chain will be established.

Comment from Toshiyuki Onishi, CEO of Standard Link Co., Ltd.

"Sky-Drones is a world-class drone technology company chosen by Honeywell Aerospace, a top global aerospace company, as a technology partner, and recognized as 'irreplaceable' by a U.S. government agency. Through this strategic partnership, we will first deliver the world's most advanced VTOL platform to our customers in Japan. In the future, we plan to evolve this into an integrated solution that the Japanese market truly needs by combining it with our AI and sensor technologies. Identifying the world's best technologies, delivering them to Japan, and creating new value by combining them with Japanese ingenuity - we will accelerate this challenge starting with this partnership."

Comment from Kirill Shilov, Founder and CEO, Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd

"Japan is a strategically important market with unique needs in areas such as security, logistics, and critical infrastructure. At Sky-Drones, we have built a comprehensive ecosystem consisting of advanced long-range VTOL aircraft, intelligent avionics, and AI-powered mission software designed for demanding real-world operations where reliability, durability, and autonomy are essential.

Our technology already supports customers worldwide in a wide range of applications, from ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and maritime surveillance to infrastructure inspection and medical logistics. We are confident that Japan's focus on enhancing its technological capabilities and operational resilience creates an excellent opportunity for advanced unmanned systems to provide significant value.

Through our collaboration with Standard Link, we see an opportunity to combine Sky-Drones' proven aerospace technology with deep market understanding and technical expertise in Japan. We look forward to seeing how this partnership can support the introduction of advanced drone solutions tailored for Japanese industrial and logistics applications.

The relationship between the UK and Japan continues to grow in strategic importance, particularly in the fields of advanced technology and defense cooperation. We are pleased to contribute to this momentum and look forward to building long-term value together in Japan."

- Kirill Shilov, Founder and CEO, Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd

Company Overview

Standard Link Co., Ltd.

Location: Tanabe Building 2F, 16-1 Nihonbashi Koamicho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0016

Representative: Toshiyuki Onishi, CEO

Business Activities: Research and development and sales of AI image analysis technology, color night vision systems, drone-related technologies, next-generation motor development, and energy harvesting technology.

E-mail: info@standard-link.jp

Sky-Drones Technologies Ltd

Location: Aztec House, 397-405 Archway Road, London N6 4ER, United Kingdom

Company Registration Number: 12538870 (Registered in England and Wales)

Established: 2011

Founder and CEO: Kirill Shilov

Business Activities: Design and manufacturing of VTOL fixed-wing aircraft, multicopters, and flight controllers; development of cloud fleet management software and AI algorithms.

URL: https://www.sky-drones.com

Sources:

*1 Sky-Drones Official Blog "Sky-Drones and Honeywell: A Landmark Partnership in Aerospace Innovation" (March 2025) and AUVSI Xponential 2024 exhibition information. *2 U.S. Federal Government Procurement Notice: Special Notice NRMAF0002301135SRG (NOAA Western Acquisition Division, August 2023) and Sole Source Justification Special Notice (NOAA Acquisition & Grants Office, Western Acquisition Division-Boulder, July 2024).

Inquiries Regarding This Matter:

Standard Link Co., Ltd.

E-mail: info@standard-link.jp