This discussion looks back on ten years of drone regulation and industry development in Norway. Industry, authorities and the audience reflect together on what has worked in practice, what has not, and which lessons should guide the next phase of drone operations and policy.

Drones are rapidly evolving from manually operated tools into intelligent, cloud connected sensors that deliver real time insights at scale. This session explores how cloud, edge computing and AI enable secure, scalable and data driven drone operations, and why alignment between technology, regulation and responsible AI is essential for sustainable growth in the drone ecosystem.

How do you move from “a few skilled pilots” to a national, always-available remote UAS capability? Jørgen Lunde Rogne shares what it really takes to scale—procurement, governance, training, and operational control—without compromising public trust or safety.

Drawing on ten years of national drone statistics, this presentation provides a data driven overview of how Norway’s drone industry has developed over time. Ola Gaute Aas Askheim, Senior Advisor at Opinion, presents key insights into industry size, flight activity, risk patterns and operator perspectives, and reflects on what a decade of data reveals about trends, challenges and opportunities. The session also highlights how these insights can inform future policy, regulation and strategic direction for the Norwegian drone ecosystem.

Norway’s defence sector has introduced a new drone strategy that places strong emphasis on cooperation between civilian and military stakeholders. This presentation explores how shared frameworks for safety, regulation and airworthiness can support both national security needs and civilian drone operations, and why closer civil–military collaboration is essential for building resilient and interoperable drone capabilities.

As drone and robotics programs scale beyond individual operators, software becomes essential to manage operational complexity. Stephan van Vuren explains how platforms like AirHub enable scalable operations through automated workflows, fleet management and continuous compliance.

In february 2025 there was found oil on the shoreline of Frøya. After testing, it is proved coming from Njord-A plattform. This starts the largest civil droneoperation i Europe ever. Over 20 drones ar in the air for 6 weeks helping the clean-up operation over a large area. AI for identifying the oil, togheter with integrating systems for good situation awarness, the drones make the operation much more efficient than thought possible. During this weeks 46 professional dronepilots are involved, flying over 700 flighthours and 7900 km.

Drones have moved from pilot projects to becoming an integrated part of everyday operations at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The presentation highlights how drones are used in inspection, maintenance and infrastructure management, along with key lessons learned, organisational changes and the operational value gained from deploying drone technology at scale.

AI is rapidly reshaping how drones are planned, flown, and scaled—but what actually works in real operations? Nitin Gupta explores how software and AI are moving from promise to practice, and what this shift means for decision-making, autonomy, and trust in future drone operations.

When drones and drone data power public services, procurement becomes a security decision—not just a contract. Mai Anh Thi Le shares how risk-based procurement and supply-chain security thinking is changing requirements for platforms, data flows, and long-term operational trust

Effective snow avalanche assessment and preventive release require knowledge of the release area conditions, such as snow depth, distribution, and stability. This presentation shares operational experience using drones and docking stations to remotely monitor high-risk avalanche paths. It covers LiDAR-based snow depth mapping, selection of suitable equipment, and operational challenges in harsh winter conditions. The presentation also outlines upcoming developments aimed at enhancing situational awareness and increasing the resilience of critical road infrastructure.

After the European Robotics Forum 2025, an intense discussion started on robotics for a changing world including topics such as the economic situation, resilience and supply chains. We will address key questions such as what is needed? and how could that be driven? including some examples and pointing at the next steps.

Socializing and networking

Building a strong safety culture requires honest reflection on when things go wrong. Drawing on real injury debriefs and operational experience from public sector drone operations, this presentation explores how incidents and near misses can be used as powerful learning tools. The talk highlights how organisations can move beyond blame, strengthen individual and organisational safety awareness, and turn difficult experiences into practical improvements as drone operations scale.

This panel conversation brings together representatives from some of Europe’s most mature drone programmes for an open and experience based discussion on flight safety. Drawing on real operational cases, the panel explores how safety is managed in practice, what types of incidents and accidents are occurring, and how organisations address risk beyond airspace and ground safety. The discussion focuses on personal risk, human factors and the challenges of operating drones in demanding environments, with the aim of sharing honest lessons learned and identifying measures that strengthen safety as drone operations scale.

What happens when innovation meets intense public scrutiny in a safety-critical environment? Nikola Tufekcic reflects on Avinor’s drone program, a challenging year of criticism and halted ambitions, and the hard-earned lessons about governance, risk, and resilience when deploying drones at scale in aviation.

How do you modernise building inspections and operations when sites are sensitive and data can’t simply flow to the cloud? Ingvill Richardsen (Forsvarsbygg) shares what it takes to use drones and inspection data in shielded environments—where security, governance, and operational value must work together from day one.

In this presentation, the results of a national industry survey conducted by the Swedish Drone Network are presented. The report highlights operating conditions, obstacles, and confidence in the future, and provides a unique insight into how drone technology is used across different sectors nationwide. The presentation also outlines what is required to promote growth, safety, and international competitiveness for Sweden.

VTOL technology is rapidly moving from buzzword to operational reality, but where should infrastructure owners and operators begin? In this presentation, Robot Aviation, a supplier of VTOL drone solutions, breaks down the essentials by cutting through the hype to explain capabilities, limitations and key considerations. The talk highlights what VTOL really means for planning, operations and the future of scalable drone operations.

NVE uses drones as a precision tool in nature hazard management — from rapid documentation after landslides and floods, to long‑term monitoring of unstable terrain, glaciers and sediment dynamics. The presentation will show how NVE produces high‑quality, repeatable datasets that support geologists, hydrologists and engineers in planning and designing mitigation measures. The focus is on operational structure, data quality and collaboration — not emergency response

How do drones move from experimentation to becoming a trusted tool in critical energy infrastructure? Drawing on deep operational experience and R&D leadership at Statnett, Thomas Negård shares how innovation, data, and operational reality are reshaping drone use across utilities—and what comes next.

Extreme weather forced a rethink—and innovation followed fast. Andreas Dalen (Lede) shares how heavy lift drone replaced a large number of helicopter hours with drone lift, what it took to prove it in real operations, and why the results are reshaping how logistics can be done when conditions are toughest. This presentation will in Norwegian

Modern autonomous systems generate large volumes of log and telemetry data, yet troubleshooting often remains focused on individual components rather than system-level behavior. In this talk, I will share practical insights from analyzing hundreds of real-world flight and mission logs across autonomous and drone systems. We show how recurring failures, inefficiencies, and configuration issues only become visible when moving from component health metrics to holistic system understanding. The presentation highlights common patterns, non-obvious failure modes, and what operators and engineers can learn from post-mission data to improve reliability, efficiency, and operational decision-making.

Icing is one of the most underestimated risks in UAV operations across the Nordics, often grounding missions far beyond Arctic regions. This session explores how new ice-detection and mitigation technologies can enable safe, reliable and year-round BVLOS operations in cold climates.

In this presentation, we will show how a simulation-first workflow takes unmanned systems from prototype to fleet. We’ll cover « In the Loop » validation, cloud-scale scenario generation, sensor and weather fidelity improvements, and digital-twin feedback loops that reduce risk and cost while exposing black-swan edge cases. We’ll also map practical integrations into existing toolchains. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of CI/CD patterns, test prioritization, governance, and ROI benchmarks for UAV, USV, and UGV programs.

This session provides an introduction to Remote ID and its role in safe and compliant drone operations. In collaboration with DroneTag, participants will gain an overview of how Remote ID works in practice, why it is becoming a key regulatory requirement, and how operators can implement Remote ID solutions to support transparency, safety and airspace integration.

U-Space operations and conops. AirDodge has established a U-Space sandbox over the skies of Bærum and will be discussing the background, operational experience and feedback from drone operators.

Despite rapid progress in technology and regulation, many drone projects still fail to scale. This session uncovers why, based on real operational experience across Europe.

Drones are a core enabling technology at SINTEF. We will present results from several recent industry R&D projects where drones have played a key role in the development of new technologies related to geophysics and remote sensing.

Europe’s competitiveness, security and societal resilience increasingly depend on the ability to deploy advanced robotics at scale. This session explores how European-led robotics, trustworthy AI and strong industrial ecosystems are key to building long-term technological sovereignty.

Kleon Solutions AS has developed a solution for detection of all lines above ground from a helicopter or a drone. Installed in a helicopter we present the detections live. Using a drone with a camera, we postprocess the film, and present the detections on a digital map in the helicopter. Collision with lines above ground is the nr. 1 cause of accident in the helicopter industry.

Swarm drones are moving fast from “wow” to “why not.” This session explores the future of swarm technology, what it can do today, and what’s coming next. We’ll break down real-world capabilities, emerging use cases, and the opportunities opening up across industry and society as airspace becomes a programmable platform.