Building a Better Way Forward: Will Carry Program
Until August of this year, DroneUp operated under a standard "Will Not Carry" program, the industry norm that excludes items containing batteries, alcohol, cleaning products, and other materials classified as hazardous. While this approach prioritizes safety through avoidance, it also created a significant gap in our ability to deliver truly critical supplies when they're needed most.
The reality hit us hard: many life-saving devices, including Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), rely on lithium metal batteries to function. Under our previous policy, we simply couldn't transport these potentially life-saving tools to communities in need. In emergency situations where every second matters, this limitation wasn't just inconvenient. It could be the difference between life and death.
Rather than accept these constraints, we decided to raise the bar. Working closely with the FAA, DroneUp developed comprehensive hazardous materials training and received approval for our groundbreaking "Will Carry" program. This isn't just a policy change, it's a complete operational transformation that puts safety, compliance, and community service at the forefront of drone logistics.
Our Will Carry Program currently enables us to safely transport specific AEDs equipped with lithium metal batteries (UN 3091). But this is just the beginning. The framework we've built has the potential to eventually expand to include other critical items like cellphones, certain chemicals, fireworks, and aerosols, all while maintaining the highest safety standards.
Compliance at the Core
The foundation of our Will Carry Program isn't built on shortcuts or compromises. Every aspect aligns with rigorous regulatory requirements, including:
49CFR compliance for domestic transportation
ICAO Technical Instructions (TI) for international aviation standards
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) for air transport safety
We've meticulously mapped every step of the hazardous materials handling process in our internal operations manual. Our acceptance checklists mirror IATA requirements, ensuring that our Remote Pilots in Command (RPICs) have a repeatable, auditable process at the field level.
Smart Technology Meets Safety Protocol
Safety doesn't happen by accident, it happens by design. Our Pre-Flight Risk Assessment and Flight Release (PRAFR) workflow now incorporates hazmat-specific safety gates, ensuring that hazard controls are applied in real-time before every flight release. This systematic approach minimizes the potential for deviations or non-conformances during operations.
But we've gone beyond standard protocols. To keep our flight crews focused on execution while maintaining safety, we've embedded QR-code enabled Emergency Response Guide references directly onto delivery boxes. This innovation provides instant access to critical safety information for first responders and DroneUp personnel. In an emergency, scanning the QR-code immediately identifies the contents, associated hazards, and appropriate handling procedures.
A Competitive Advantage with Purpose
While many competitors continue to treat hazardous materials as a "do not carry" category, DroneUp is leveraging our Will Carry Program as a meaningful differentiator. By building a compliant, repeatable, and scalable framework, we're not just checking regulatory boxes, we're creating new opportunities in medical logistics and emergency response.
This capability opens doors that were previously closed, allowing us to serve communities in ways that truly matter. Whether it's delivering an AED to a remote location during a cardiac emergency or ensuring critical medical equipment reaches healthcare providers, our Will Carry Program transforms drone delivery from convenience to life-saving service.
Looking Toward the Future
DroneUp will also be returning to Johnstown from October 13–24 to resume operations and conduct additional test missions. These flights will build on our recent progress, allowing us to expand capabilities, validate procedures, and further demonstrate how our programs can support both critical missions and future large-scale drone operations.
Our Hazardous Materials Will Carry Program represents more than just operational capability, it's a commitment to operationalizing safety, compliance, and reliability into a turnkey solution. As we look ahead to potential Part 135 UAS operations, we're ensuring our pilots have the tools, training, and confidence to carry critical lifesaving cargo when it matters most.
The future of drone logistics isn't just about speed, it's about safety, compliance, and trust. At DroneUp, we believe that by building systems that meet and exceed regulatory standards, we can deliver not just packages, but peace of mind to the communities we serve.
From our previous "Will Not Carry" limitations to our current life-saving capabilities, DroneUp's Will Carry Program demonstrates what's possible when innovation meets responsibility. Because in an emergency, every minute counts, and now, we're ready to make those minutes matter.
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DroneUp's Hazardous Materials Will Carry Program is currently approved for specific AED devices with lithium metal batteries. For more information about our capabilities and safety protocols, contact our business development team.