Robert Garbett, Chief Executive and Founder of Drone Major Group, discusses how his military background and experience in drone standards led to the development of Digital Tethering.

What motivated you to found Drone Major Group and how did your military experience lead you into the drone industry?

An inspirational young lady called Tina Brevitt approached me in 2013 seeking assistance with an organisation that she created to support UK air drone operators called the Society for Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS). 

Tina had found me on LinkedIn and due to my military background in the development of policies and standards for military drones as well as my Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Airworthiness certification, she asked for my help to develop the network. 

I agreed and we set about developing an online software network solution and a marketing campaign that evolved the network from 124 members to over 40,000.

Along this journey, Tina asked me to attend a meeting with the British Standards Institution (BSI) at which I was asked to represent the UK at a new committee at the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO).

On the committee I led on the development of the international safety and quality standard for Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) Operations (ISO21384-3) until 2024 when I retired to focus on our Digital Tethering (TM) concept.

The network was later renamed to Surface Underwater, Air & Space Global (SUAS Global) and in 2016, I bought the company and transitioned the business elements of the network into Drone Major which was launched in 2017 at the House of Lords.

The concept of Digital Tethering (TM) was born during the first COVID lockdown as I found that I had time to consider what was stopping the UK air drone industry from fully commercialising. 

My conclusion was that the use of GPS as a core navigation solution and the lack of sufficient flight assurance were the two key issues, so I set about devising a solution to overcome this.

It was then thar Digital Tethering (TM), which has a stack of navigational solutions both GPS and non-GPS together with a certifiable (to DO178) software-based Safety Assurance System (SAS), was born. 

I did enter this idea into the first Future Flight challenge, but the idea was rejected so I pursued other avenues and eventually presented the concept to Network Rail in 2022. 

The idea was well received and we were contracted to run a proof-of-concept trial in July 2023. 

From there, the hard work of turning a concept into reality and the struggle to get the CAA to understand and accept the concept began.

The CAA liked the idea and were supportive and professional but this was a first of a kind, so a great deal of caution was exercised in assessing the Operational Safety Case (OSC). 

In May 2024, we were awarded a limited Operational Authority (OA) to fly 2km Beyond Visual Line of Sight (mitigated) BVLOS(M) from Wolverhampton station, which meant that we had to have observers every 500m on every flight.

Finally, the CAA accepted our safety arguments and a full BVLOS OA was issued in May 2025.

This represents a monumental move to the commercialisation of the UK drone industry for UAS operations in highly complex urban areas, near CNI and uninvolved members of the public.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the commercial drone sector?

Overcoming regulations that are required to conduct trials and deliver projects is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges facing businesses in the drone sector.

The UK CAA has made significant steps towards simplifying and speeding up the process to obtain an Operational Authority (OA) by implementing the Special Operation Risk Assessment (SORA) system.

However, the models and frameworks behind this system to enable Specific Assurance and Integrity Level 3 (SAIL3) and above application in the Specific category do not yet exist.

Which sectors do you believe will be most transformed by drone technology?

Drone technology, including Drone Major’s Digital Tethering (TM) solution, can now be transposed across two key types of CNI.

Firstly, linear transport CNI such as rail, road and energy infrastructure such as pipelines and powerlines. 

By utilising a range of aircraft, the Digital Tethering (TM) system can be used for a huge range of applications spanning infrastructure and line infrastructure maintenance, inspection of rolling stock and delivery of critical tools and spares to staff working on the line. 

This could include aircraft carrying advanced sensors to map and predict the need for foliage management or the use of deep penetrating radar to analyse the need for predictive maintenance to sidings or other infrastructure. 

You’ve been an advocate for the ethical use of drones. How important is public trust in the development of this technology?

Without the trust of the Public, the drone sector will flounder and fail.

This is why the application of relevant safety and quality standards is so important and why I spent nine years of my life and huge resources representing the UK at the International Standardization Organisation (ISO) developing the very first safety and quality standards for drone manufacture and operations.

There are now a raft of relevant standards available to ensure that drones are manufactured and flown to the highest standards and I would urge buyers to insist on compliance with these standards whenever procuring drone hardware or services.

What’s next for Drone Major Group?

Following the recent approval of Drone Major’s Operational Authority by the UK CAA, the opportunity now exists for railway operators to work with Drone Major to establish services which utilise Digital Tethering (TM) to meet their operational needs. 

With our advanced Operational Authority, it is possible to get CAA clearance to expand the use cases and operational areas to all sectors of the rail industry and we are keen to speak with anyone wishing to exploit this amazing technology.

This article was originally published in the October edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.