Drones to deliver blood donations in Wales: How it'll work
04 Jan 2026

In a groundbreaking move, Wales is set to use drones for transporting blood donations.

The innovative trial, dubbed the Dragon's Heart project, aims to reduce the time taken for life-saving blood samples to reach specific locations, with the ultimate ambition of delivering them directly to accident sites in the future.

Currently, these samples are processed in South Wales and transported by road, a journey that can take hours.

A unique approach to blood transportation
Project details

The Dragon's Heart project will use drones weighing some 25kg and measuring around 1.7m in width.

The drones have been designed with a hatch on top, where the blood sits inside the drone body.

This design helps control the temperature of the blood and minimize vibrations during transport.

The pilot phase of this innovative project is set to begin in early 2026.

Skyports Drone Services to operate the blood transportation drones
Operational details

Skyports Drone Services, a Buckinghamshire-based company that operates drones and service routes globally, will be in charge of operating the blood transportation drones.

The company's CEO Alex Brown said this project would be "world-leading."

He explained that these unique drones can take off like helicopters and then switch to fixed-wing mode for plane-like flying.

Drones can cover long distances and withstand strong winds
Drone capabilities

The drones used in this trial can land in small areas, fly up to 100km, and withstand winds of up to 30 knots.

However, Skyports Drone Services and its partners still need approval from the Civil Aviation Authority for their planned missions.

If successful, Brown said this would connect medical practices across rural Wales and bring the benefits of drones to its people.

Snowdonia Aerospace Centre to lead the drone trial
Trial leadership

The Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, based at Llanbedr airfield in Gwynedd, will lead this partnership.

Its technical director Jeremy Howitt said the trial location was chosen because of its large amount of airspace that can't be used by non-approved aircraft.

This ensures a safe environment for flying and allows them to prototype all systems together in one go and demonstrate safety before migrating it to other places in the country.

Drone trial to reduce blood transportation time significantly
Time reduction

The next phase of this project will involve flying blood between the Welsh Blood Service headquarters in Talbot Green and a blood store in Wrexham. This could cut down travel time by some three hours.

The final phase might connect these blood stores with hospitals, creating corridors for drones across Wales and potentially supporting emergency responses within those regions as well.