Professional applications — FR
SKYRELL: a French drone to inspect offshore wind turbines from the coast
A drone to inspect wind turbines without leaving dry land
SKYRELL is a long-range autonomous drone that takes off from the coast, reaches an offshore wind farm, inspects the blades in operation and returns to its starting point, without the need for a vessel or an onboard team. Presented on 16 September 2026 in Paris, the project is led by a consortium of four French partners: TIDAV for the drone platform, CORNIS for imaging, VALEMO for operational validation and the CNRS (Gipsa-lab and Heudiasyc) for flight autonomy and cybersecurity. The project is supported by the France 2030 programme.
According to the consortium, this approach should reduce the exposure of teams at sea, limit the use of vessels for inspection missions and preserve energy production by inspecting the blades without stopping the turbine. Cédric Lefort, CEO of TIDAV, describes the project as "a new way of operating and maintaining offshore wind farms".
Technical performance still unclear
The consortium's press release describes the drone as "long-range" and states that it collects high-definition images and data. No figures accompany these terms: neither endurance, nor range, nor maximum take-off mass, nor battery type. Wind resistance, cruising speed and onboard sensors (other than HD imaging) are not mentioned. The project is at the development stage; detailed specifications have not been published.
An approach that adds to existing methods
Offshore wind turbine inspections are currently carried out by rope-access technicians or by drones piloted from a boat. These methods mobilise specialised vessels and onboard teams, with high logistical costs and weather constraints. Onshore, software such as SkyVisor already automates inspection flights for onshore wind. SKYRELL aims to transpose this automation offshore, starting from the coast, which implies beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight over the sea. The consortium states that it did not respond to a call for tenders, but established an industrial roadmap before submitting its France 2030 application.
What is missing in order to assess the project
Several unknowns remain. No commercialisation timetable has been announced. The price of the solution and the acquisition conditions remain undisclosed. No feedback from sea trials has been presented. The regulatory framework for BVLOS flight over the sea from the coast is not mentioned by the consortium, although this authorisation is a prerequisite for operation. The project is supported by France 2030, but the steps towards commissioning are not detailed.
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