01Low-altitude sourcing is not “buy a drone”
A low-altitude project really procures repeatable, compliant, insurable mission-delivery capability. Describe demand along the chain: scenario (logistics / inspection / survey / emergency) → cargo or task → route → environment → aircraft → operating licence → service metrics → quote. Talking only about “a drone” omits route, airspace, licence, insurance and O&M — the factors that decide success.
02Logistics sourcing essentials
Core fields: task type, takeoff / landing points, route distance, flight altitude, single payload, cargo type, daily flights, lead time, and delivery mode (landing / drop / service delivery). Verify payload-range match, whether cargo is dangerous or needs special packing, whether lead time covers day/night and weather windows, and last-mile feasibility with clear liability.
- Takeoff/landing and route distance set endurance and diversion
- Payload and cargo type set airframe and packing
- Daily flights and lead time drive O&M and insurance cost
03Inspection & survey sourcing essentials
Beyond route and payload, inspection / survey must specify sensors (RGB / thermal / multispectral / LiDAR), altitude, terrain, wind, visibility, turbulence, comms and navigation. Set data precision (e.g. sampling rate, positioning accuracy) and delivery format (point cloud / orthophoto / report) to avoid “flew but unusable data”.
04Operating-envelope bounds (examples, not universal standards)
Published material sometimes cites example bounds — these are sample figures only and must NOT be presented as universal ATC safety standards or uniform thresholds: wind 0–18 m/s, roll <15°, pitch <25°, ground speed 0–15 m/s, altitude 50–200 m, sampling ≥1 Hz. Real mission bounds must follow the specific airframe manual, airspace approval and local regulation; in the RFQ the buyer should state their own mission bounds rather than copy sample values.
05Operating licence and insurance
Low-altitude operations typically involve flight / airspace permission, operator qualifications (e.g. relevant licences and training), third-party liability and hull insurance, maintenance and emergency plans. The RFQ should state whether operating / airspace licence and insurance evidence are required; the platform flags “ops-licence-evidence-missing” and “insurance-evidence-missing” as risks, and clears them when the supplier’s declaration includes LICENSE / 资质 or INSURANCE / 保险.
06Supplier capability verification
Verify flight-control redundancy, navigation / comms redundancy, maintenance system, operating record and incident rate, and airworthiness status (e.g. the TC / PC / AC / OC certification chain). Prefer suppliers with real operating cases, traceable flight logs and solid emergency plans — not just hardware specs.
07Quoting and risk
Low-altitude services commonly price per flight, per km, per hour, per route-month or per service. Comparison requires the same currency AND unit for structured comparison; otherwise the platform flags “basis mismatch” and asks for conversion first. Other risks: missing route / payload bounds, missing ops-licence evidence, missing insurance evidence and unverified supplier.