Xer Technologies’ X8 UAV Featured on SRF During Live BVLOS Operations in the Swiss Alps
Live BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations using Xer Technologies’ X8 UAV platform were featured on SRF — Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Switzerland’s national public broadcaster, marking a significant milestone for autonomous aerial operations in Europe.
The missions took place in Amsteg, Canton Uri, home to Switzerland’s first dedicated UAV testing ground. Steep terrain, limited accessibility, and strong alpine winds created real operational conditions where performance cannot be simulated, and the X8 delivered.
Conducted under authorisation from FOCA (Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation / BAZL), the operations demonstrated how BVLOS drone deployment is moving from demonstration into real-world infrastructure capability.
The demos were carried out together with EBIRD Logistics AG, Alpine Drone Consortium, Canton Uri, power line operators, and additional Swiss industry and infrastructure partners supporting the advancement of scalable UAV operations across Switzerland.
7 minutes. Valley floor to Alpine site. Medical payloads. Live wind. Real operational conditions.
“Being featured on SRF is not just media recognition. It validates that real autonomous UAV operations are already happening in Switzerland today. The X8 is proving itself in environments where conventional systems face significant operational limitations.”
– Erik Herlyn, Chief Executive Officer, Xer Technologies AG.
In front of more than 50 guests, including Swiss authorities, military representatives, power line operators, infrastructure partners, and national media, Xer Technologies presented live X8 BVLOS missions from takeoff to landing.
During the demos for Power Line Inspection & Transportation, X8 transported medical payloads and critical goods from the valley floor to alpine sites in just seven minutes while operating in complex wind and terrain conditions. Additional missions included power line inspection in difficult high-altitude environments and high-resolution aerial data capture using Phase One imaging systems.
The operations brought together key organisations shaping the future of UAV deployment in Switzerland: EBIRD Logistics AG, represented by Chairman Hans Jörg Hunziker and CEO Martin Büsser; Alpine Drone Consortium, represented by President Silvan Küng; Canton Uri, represented by Director of Economic Affairs Urban Camenzind; and Xer Technologies Chief Pilot Laurent Dutour, who provided operational insight during interviews with national broadcasters, explaining the live flight missions, alpine operating conditions, and the real-world deployment capabilities of the X8 platform.
The demos were additionally covered by SRF Schweiz aktuell & Echo der Zeit, Tele 1, and Urner Wochenblatt.
About the Xer Technologies X8
The X8 is Xer Technologies’ flagship hybrid-electric UAV platform engineered for missions where conventional transport and inspection methods reach their limits. FOCA-authorised for BVLOS operations in Swiss airspace, the X8 supports logistics, infrastructure inspection, and industrial applications in remote and hard-to-access terrain.
As European BVLOS regulations mature, Xer Technologies is showing what autonomous aerial deployment looks like in practice, not in controlled demonstrations, but in the Swiss Alps.
