After five years of intensive activity that included thousands of flights, safety tests, building regulatory infrastructure, and developing advanced airspace management systems, the Transport Ministry announces a new and significant stage in the national drone initiative. For the first time, the trial does not merely examine flight and communication capabilities but tests how a real drone market will operate: Connecting operators, continuous coordination, daily operation, creating work processes, and gaining practical understanding of the environment required to turn aerial services into commercial offerings.
The national drone initiative will soon enter a new phase, moving from isolated demonstrations to the simulation of continuous real-world operations. In the healthcare system, scenarios will be tested that could enable regular aerial activity in the future, such as transporting blood units from Hadassah Ein Kerem to Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem over traffic congestion, or receiving deliveries at Ziv Hospital in Safed as part of advanced medical support in peripheral regions. The goal is to examine how stable, fast, and equitable medical transport routes can be built.
In the municipal domain, a wide array of experiments will test innovative work processes. Among others, in the city of Rahat, real-time hazard detection capabilities will be tested; in Yeruham, aerial security patrols will provide a broad situational overview; in Kfar Saba, rapid response to reports arriving at the municipal control center will be examined; in Ra’anana, drone-based municipal monitoring will be implemented; and in the Sharon area, a system will be tested to detect unauthorized drones. In Yarkon Park, a future model for aerial food delivery will be tested in collaboration with the restaurant chain Benedict. These and many other experiments will create a full simulation of a future service, which will later be offered to the general public.
In logistics, trials simulating commercial operations will begin. Mishloha and Benedict will experiment with fixed delivery routes, the Rami Levy chain will test integrating drones into the retail supply chain, and along Israel’s coasts, a model will be tested for transporting equipment to gas platforms and ships as an alternative to expensive and complex manned vehicles. The aim of these trials is to gain deep insights into the potential for cost reduction and improvements in speed and efficiency.
At the same time, the technological infrastructure at the core of the initiative will be tested. The drones will face communication and GPS disruptions, variable weather conditions, and high safety requirements, including flights in active aviation zones. Artificial intelligence systems will provide capabilities such as anomaly detection, real-time situation analysis, and identification of non-cooperative aircraft. These processes will allow an understanding of how the technologies will be integrated into structured services in the future.
The national initiative’s budget is approximately NIS 17 million and will be dedicated to developing systems, expanding trial capabilities, examining integration processes, and collecting real-world data to support regulatory work at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Transport Minister Miri Regev said: “Israel is one of the leading countries in the world in developing and implementing innovative aviation technologies. Expanding the initiative to the commercial services stage, including complex regulatory and safety aspects in areas where global experience is still in its infancy, places Israel at the forefront of global innovation and provides a significant advantage to the Israeli industry and the economy as a whole.”
Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel added: “The national drone initiative marks a new stage in which Israel is not only talking about a technological future but is actually realizing it. We are entering an era where innovation becomes a daily work tool, from transporting medical tests and life-saving equipment in peripheral regions, to improving municipal management, and creating fast, green, and efficient logistics processes. This is a deep infrastructural change connecting advanced technological capabilities, smart regulation, and responsible field operations. Our vision is to lay the foundations for a world where unmanned aircraft integrate naturally and safely into civilian airspace, opening doors to new industries, economic opportunities, and services that were previously impossible. This is a national responsibility requiring cooperation between government ministries, industry, and local authorities, and we are determined to lead it with the well-being of citizens, gap reduction, and strengthening Israel’s position at the forefront of global innovation in mind. For us, this is not just a technological trial—it is the beginning of a civil revolution that will change daily life here.”
Dror Bin, CEO of the Innovation Authority, said: “We see significant potential in a variety of applications such as early detection of fires, identification of safety hazards at construction sites, securing critical facilities, and real-time traffic monitoring, alongside advanced logistics solutions that will shorten delivery times and improve efficiency. All of this will be possible thanks to advanced technological infrastructure and enabling regulation.”
“Until now, we have conducted demonstrations, and now we are practicing full operations simulating continuous deployment. This is a trial that prepares the ground for real-world operation and teaches us how to integrate the infrastructure with private companies, hospitals, and authorities on the way to creating a new airspace for Israel.”