Israel Launches Next Phase of National Drone Initiative, Paving the Way for Drone-Based Commercial Aerial Services

Following five years of testing, Israel transitions from demonstrations to real-world operational simulations across health, logistics, and municipal services

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, November 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Israel is entering a groundbreaking new phase of the National Drone Initiative, moving beyond technological demonstrations to practical, continuous, and coordinated drone operations. This next stage aims to build the operational, regulatory, and technological foundation required for a commercial drone services market expected to launch in the coming years.

Over the past five years, the Initiative has carried out thousands of flights, extensive safety trials, development of advanced airspace-management systems, and construction of enabling regulations. Now, Israel is shifting from testing individual capabilities to simulating how a real drone services ecosystem will operate by connecting multiple operators, ensuring daily continuity of service, establishing workflows, and understanding the full practical requirements of commercial aerial services.

Miri Regev, Minister of Transport and Road Safety emphasized Israel’s leadership position: “Israel is one of the world’s leading countries in developing and implementing innovative aviation technologies - and our role is to maintain our position at the forefront of technology and regulation. The accelerated advancement of the National Drone Initiative is part of the ‘Connecting Israel’ vision - also in the aerial dimension. This initiative is one of the clearest expressions of the innovation revolution we are leading - in the air, at sea, and on land. Expanding the initiative into the commercial-services phase, including advancing complex regulatory and safety aspects in fields where global experience is still limited, positions Israel at the forefront of global innovation and gives a significant advantage to Israeli industry and to the economy as a whole.”

Gila Gamliel, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology highlighted the broader societal impact: “The National Drone Initiative marks a new stage in which Israel is not only talking about a technological future but is realizing it. We are entering an era where innovation becomes an everyday work tool, from transporting medical tests and life-saving equipment to peripheral areas to improving municipal management to enabling faster, greener, and more efficient logistics processes. This is a deep infrastructural shift that connects advanced technological capabilities, enabling regulation, and responsible field operations. Our vision is to lay the foundations for a world in which unmanned aircraft will integrate naturally and safely into Israel’s civilian airspace and open the door to new industries, economic opportunities, and services that until now were impossible.

This is a national responsibility that requires cooperation between government entities, industry, and local authorities, and we are determined to lead it with the well-being of citizens in mind by reducing gaps and strengthening Israel’s position at the forefront of global innovation. For us, this is not just a technological pilot, it is the beginning of a civic revolution that will change everyday life here.”

Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said: “We are at a stage that brings Israel closer to the next generation of aerial transportation and services. This is a phase in which the industry and the state learn together what a managed and safe airspace will look like, and how companies join this infrastructure and operate within it through a continuous and supervised process.

We see significant potential in a variety of applications, such as early wildfire detection, identifying safety hazards at construction sites, securing critical facilities, real-time traffic monitoring, and advanced logistics solutions that will shorten delivery times and improve efficiency. All of this will be made possible thanks to advanced technological infrastructure and enabling regulation. Until now, we have conducted demonstrations; now we are training for full operations that simulate continuous activity. This pilot prepares the ground for real-world deployment and teaches us how to integrate the infrastructure with private companies, hospitals, and municipalities on the way to creating a new aerial environment for Israel.”

Moshe Ben Zaken, Director-General of the Ministry of Transport, said: “This is a national leap forward. The ability to operate drone services as part of an integrated transportation system creates transportation, operational, and economic benefits and positions Israel at the forefront of global innovation. We will continue to advance progressive regulations and partnerships that will enable safe and accessible integration of new technologies for the public.”
The National Drone Initiative will soon enter a new phase of continuous activity simulating real-world operations rather than isolated demonstrations. In the health system, scenarios will be tested that may in the future enable continuous aerial operations; for example: blood units will be transported from Hadassah Ein Kerem to Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem without traffic congestion, and Ziv Hospital in Safed will continue receiving deliveries as part of examining advanced medical-support capabilities in peripheral areas. The goal is to examine how stable, fast, and equitable medical-delivery air routes can be created.

In the municipal sector, a broad pilot framework will be launched to examine innovative workflows.

Among the tests: Rahat will examine real-time hazard detection; Yeruham will operate aerial security patrols that provide a wide field picture; Kfar Saba will test rapid response to reports received at the municipal hotline; Ra’anana will practice municipal inspections via drones; in the Sharon region, a system will identify unauthorized drones; in Yarkon Park, a model will simulate a future where food deliveries arrive by air, including cooperation with restaurants from the Benedict chain.

These will serve as field trials designed to create a full simulation of future services, even if the public does not yet benefit from them at this stage.
In the logistics sector, pilots will begin to simulate commercial operations. Mishlocha and Benedict will test fixed delivery routes; the Rami Levy retail chain will examine potential changes to its supply chain; and at sea, a model will be tested for transporting equipment to gas rigs and ships as a potential alternative to expensive and complex manned vessels. The objective is an in-depth study of the potential for cost reduction and improved speed and efficiency.

In parallel, the technological infrastructure at the core of the initiative will be evaluated. The drones will face communication and GPS disruptions, weather changes, and high safety requirements, including activity in active aviation areas. Artificial intelligence systems will provide capabilities such as anomaly detection, real-time situational analysis, and identifying non-cooperative aircraft. These processes will help determine how the technologies will be integrated into formal services in the future.

The budget of the National Drone Initiative will amount to nearly 17 million NIS and will be dedicated to developing these systems, expanding pilot capabilities, examining integration and connection processes, and collecting real operational data that will support regulatory work at the Civil Aviation Authority.

###

Shani Jaffe
Number 10 Strategies
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.