Revolutionary Drone Delivery: NUAIR and NYNJ Port Authority Showcase Hudson River Crossing with Girl Scout Cookies

In a remarkable celebration of their year-long collaboration with the Girl Scouts to promote STEM careers, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully delivering a box of Raspberry Rally cookies across the Hudson River using an unmanned cargo drone. This inaugural test flight marked an exciting advancement in unmanned delivery aircraft technology.

Covering a distance of 3 miles from Greenville Yards in Jersey City, N.J., to the New York New Jersey Rail’s (NYNJR) eastern terminus in Brooklyn, N.Y., the delivery took a mere 15 minutes. Impressively, the drone made the return trip in only 10 minutes, showcasing the speed and efficiency of this innovative mode of transport.

Saleh Kojak, the manager of the agency’s emergency management office’s drone program, spearheaded the development of this pilot project. With support from aviation and port department personnel, as well as approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Kojak successfully orchestrated this landmark test flight. The Northeast UAS Aerospace Integration Research (NUAIR), a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to safely integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace, conducted the test flight.

The Port Authority already operates a fleet of six unmanned aircraft, utilized for various tasks such as planning the Bayonne Bridge roadway elevation project, conducting visual inspections at the George Washington Bridge, aiding public safety campaigns, and assisting with berth maintenance at their marine terminals. However, the recent successful delivery highlights the Port Authority’s commitment to exploring eco-friendly alternatives for middle-mile cargo transportation.

With its vehicular crossings like the George Washington Bridge and the NYNJR cross-harbor railcar float serving as vital conduits for middle-mile deliveries between New York City and the U.S. mainland, the Port Authority aims to embrace environmentally conscious solutions. In 2022 alone, their six crossings facilitated over 8 million eastbound truck trips, while NYNJR transported approximately 4,500 loaded railcars.

Program Director Seth Wainer expressed optimism about the future of drone cargo transport, particularly in the middle-mile sector. He noted that technology progresses rapidly, with cars boasting features today that were nonexistent a decade ago. Recognizing the strong potential in moving goods from fixed points to fixed points, Wainer believes the next five years hold tremendous opportunities for the drone cargo space.

Buoyed by the success of the demo flight, the Port Authority has issued a Request for Innovation (RFI) inviting private-sector participants to join them in establishing cross-Hudson River air corridors and complementary infrastructure. This call for partnerships signifies the Port Authority’s commitment to furthering the development of efficient and sustainable cargo transport solutions.

The delivery of Raspberry Rally cookies via drone over the Hudson River not only showcased the remarkable capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems but also opened doors to a future where drone deliveries become commonplace. With the Port Authority leading the way, the skies above the Hudson River may soon become bustling corridors for safe, swift, and environmentally friendly cargo transportation.