SOP · ENGINEERING
Drone Swarm Pre-Flight & Tasking
ActiveEngineeringRev C
Purpose
To govern pre-flight checks, airspace clearance, and mission tasking of the HIVE-13 surveillance and interdiction drone swarm used for hornet-nest reconnaissance and apiary monitoring. The procedure ensures airworthiness, deconfliction, and traceable tasking before any launch.
Scope
All swarm drone pre-flight, tasking, and launch authorisation.
In scope:
- Per-airframe pre-flight inspection
- Battery, payload, and link verification
- Airspace deconfliction and geofence loading
- Mission tasking and launch authorisation
Out of scope:
- Sensor node ground deployment, which follows NectarNet Sensor Node Deployment & Calibration
- Physical hornet-nest interdiction on the ground, which follows field operations doctrine
Definitions
Swarm
The coordinated group of autonomous drones operating under a single tasking plan.
Geofence
The bounded airspace volume loaded into each airframe to constrain flight.
Tasking Plan
The authorised set of waypoints, payload actions, and abort conditions for a mission.
Responsibilities
Aerial Operations Engineer (Owner)
Owns the procedure and grants launch authorisation against an approved tasking plan.
Drone Technician
Performs pre-flight inspection, payload fit, and link checks on each airframe.
Mission Controller
Loads geofences, monitors the swarm in flight, and commands abort if needed.
Procedure
Pre-Flight
- Inspect each airframe for damage, prop integrity, and secure payload.
- Verify battery state, return-to-home setpoint, and control link.
- Confirm firmware and tasking-plan versions match the manifest.
Airspace & Tasking
- Check weather and deconflict airspace against other operations.
- Load the geofence and approved tasking plan into each airframe.
- Verify abort and loss-of-link behaviour before authorising launch.
Launch & Monitor
- Authorise launch only with full pre-flight and airspace sign-off.
- Monitor swarm telemetry and geofence adherence throughout the mission.
- Recover airframes, log flight hours, and report any anomaly.
PPE & Controls
Eye protection during launch and recoveryHigh-visibility vestHearing protection near rotors
Records Generated
- Per-airframe pre-flight checklist
- Tasking and launch authorisation log
- Flight-hour and anomaly record
References
- NectarNet Sensor Node Deployment & Calibration
- Comb Data Fabric Failover
- HIVE Airspace Operations Doctrine
Revision History
| Rev | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| B | 2091-04-10 | Added loss-of-link behaviour verification before launch. |
| C | 2091-05-30 | Required firmware and tasking-plan version match against manifest. |