AerialMetric and Shearwater to Transform Life-Saving Medical Drone Deliveries Across Madagascar and Beyond

AI-powered flight planning and dynamic risk mitigation will improve reliability and reach for BVLOS missions—laying the foundation for scalable, drone-enabled healthcare across Africa.

Operating regions in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar – July 22, 2025 – AerialMetric, Madagascar's leading medical drone delivery operator, today announced a strategic partnership with Shearwater Aerospace to significantly expand access to life-saving medicines in remote communities across the country. The collaboration addresses critical challenges in beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations, where the energy required to fly a route can vary by up to 30% due to weather—making it difficult to ensure safe and consistent service.

AerialMetric has built one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most active medical drone delivery networks. Since 2020, the company has completed over 10,000 flights, delivering more than 10 tonnes of essential medical supplies to over 1,000 health facilities. In 2024 alone, nearly 3,000 long-range missions were completed, many exceeding 200 kilometers. These operations took place in some of the world’s most demanding conditions, including wind speeds up to 13 m/s, heavy rainfall, extreme heat, and mountainous terrain at altitudes reaching 1,700 meters.

Together, the two companies are enabling AerialMetric to establish year-round, regulator-approved medical delivery corridors that avoid populated areas. Powered by Shearwater’s patented Smart Flight™ autonomy platform, these routes are optimized using comprehensive regional weather data and advanced safety protocols — providing aviation authorities with the robust evidence needed to confidently authorize BVLOS operations. 

Smart Flight: Optimal, compliant BVLOS routes in seconds

With these corridors in place, Smart Flight™ provides real-time flight risk mitigation for every medical mission. Before takeoff, it verifies that live weather and energy conditions are within aircraft performance and regulatory limits—giving operators a clear go/no-go decision. In flight, the system continuously monitors evolving weather and energy use, enabling crews to confidently continue, reroute, or return to base when conditions become too risky. This ensures every flight stays within approved corridors, avoids populated areas, and safely delivers critical medical supplies.

"The integration of Shearwater’s technology directly addresses some of our most pressing operational challenges," said Pierre-Loup Lesage, CEO of AerialMetric. "Manual BVLOS planning is increasingly time-consuming and often leads to highly variable route performance—with flights that succeed one day but are grounded the next.  By embedding real-time weather analysis and energy forecasting directly into our flight planning, Smart Flight™ allows us to deliver more consistently, scale with greater confidence, and strengthen regulatory trust as we expand our life-saving logistics network across Africa.”

Operating at clinic in Madagascar

The improved operational capabilities will have direct impact on medical supply delivery to remote communities across Madagascar. "Reliable drone deliveries are critical for our ability to serve people in remote areas," said  Ny Manda Andrianjatovo, Operations Quality Lead at AerialMetric. "When weather conditions affect delivery schedules, it can mean the difference between having essential medicines available or not.” 

The collaboration also positions both companies to support AerialMetric’s planned expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo, where similarly challenging terrain and weather conditions demand advanced flight planning capabilities. By establishing proven operational standards in Madagascar, the partnership creates a replicable model for scaling drone-enabled healthcare logistics—offering a roadmap for governments, NGOs, and partners across emerging markets.

For media inquiries or partnership opportunities, contact: press@shearwater.ai

About AerialMetric

AerialMetric is a pioneer in long-range drone operations, specializing in the design, manufacturing, and deployment of VTOL UAVs for cargo delivery and surveillance. Based in Madagascar, the company provides cutting-edge logistical solutions to support healthcare, humanitarian aid, and emergency response across Africa. www.aerialmetric.com

About Shearwater Aerospace

Shearwater Aerospace develops state-of-the-art AI-powered software to enhance drone operations, enabling operators to fly farther, more often, and with full confidence. Its flagship platform, Smart Flight™, plans optimal BVLOS flights and provides dynamic risk mitigation by accounting for weather, terrain, flight restrictions, aircraft performance, and more. The system is trusted by leading partners including Lockheed Martin Canada. www.shearwater.ai