A heavy-duty UAV is incorporating a system to boost its ability to find and trigger mines after a conflict, writes Nick Flaherty.

The Draganfly Heavy Lift UAV will use the Mine and Ground Inert Clearance (MAGIC) mesh-based demining system developed by Autonome Labs.

The MAGIC demining mesh is designed to detonate and neutralise landmines across hazardous terrain, and the integration enables rapid clearance of explosive threats, thereby significantly reducing risk to human demining teams and accelerating the restoration of safe and usable land.

The Heavy Lift UAV platform can carry up to 27 kg with a flight time of 18 minutes using 8 batteries.

A configurable battery management system allows this to be reduced to 6 or 4 battery packs for a payload trade-off with flight time.

Autonome Labs’ MAGIC system deploys a lightweight, reusable carbon fibre rod with a coiled detonating cord. This enables precise, remote detonation of mines in a controlled manner, minimising risk to personnel and accelerating clearance timelines. A bespoke roller mechanism for the coiled detonating cord provides fast and safe minefield remediation.

“Our collaboration with Draganfly represents a critical step forward in the way autonomous technologies are deployed in high-risk environments,” said Kyle Debanks, chief operating officer of Autonome Labs. “By combining our smart demining mesh system with Draganfly’s proven drone platform, we’re enabling a safer, more scalable solution for clearing dangerous terrain.”

Initial integration and testing will begin in 2025, with plans to pilot the system in post-conflict regions later in the year.