Aeronext Completes 422 Drone Blood Deliveries Over Seven Months in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia～Reporting Results of METI’s “Global South Future-oriented Collaborative Creation Project” ～

　Aeronext Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & Group CEO: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “Aeronext”) announces that, as a result of the “Smart Logistics Standardization Demonstration Project Incorporating Drones in Mongolia,” conducted under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) FY2023 FY2023 Supplementary Global South Future-oriented Collaborative Creation Project Subsidy (Infrastructure Overseas Expansion Feasibility Study by Japanese Companies: Second Call)”, it has successfully implemented social deployment of drone-based blood product deliveries.

　Through this initiative, Aeronext has steadily advanced efforts toward establishing a de facto standard for drone logistics in Mongolia.

　In Ulaanbaatar, where severe traffic congestion significantly impacts logistics efficiency, Aeronext built and operated an urban smart logistics model incorporating drone delivery. Over approximately seven months, from May through the end of November 2025, the project conducted 422 regular delivery flights, transporting blood products for 516 transfusion cases and contributing to five emergency life-saving cases. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and sustainability of drone logistics as life-supporting infrastructure.

　In addition, Aeronext promoted an end-to-end framework—from local aircraft development within Mongolia to business development aimed at third-country expansion originating from Mongolia—clearly demonstrating the global applicability of a Japan-originated drone logistics model to logistics challenges common across emerging economies.

【Background and Objectives】

　In Mongolia, particularly in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, severe traffic congestion has created urgent demand for time-sensitive medical transport and same-day consumer deliveries. However, transportation remains largely dependent on in-house truck fleets, and congestion combined with rising labor costs has led to inefficiencies and increased logistics expenses.

　Furthermore, the fragmentation and increasing frequency of deliveries have reduced logistics efficiency and raised costs—an issue particularly acute in urban areas worldwide.

　This project was implemented with the objective of establishing a de facto standard for “smart logistics incorporating drones” by:

・Expanding last-mile delivery options through drone logistics
・Designing logistics operations optimized for drone delivery

【Overview of Initiatives】

　In Ulaanbaatar, the project began with medical-sector drone deliveries of blood products, achieving social implementation while simultaneously building a local flight operation framework and establishing systems for local aircraft development and maintenance.　The project also explored future expansion into essential infrastructure sectors such as postal services, food delivery, and daily goods distribution, as well as potential horizontal deployment into third countries facing similar challenges, including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

【Key Results】

１）Establishment of a Drone Logistics Model

Social Implementation of Commercial Drone Delivery in Healthcare. Expanding possibilities to daily goods delivery use cases.

　MSDD (Mongolia Smart Drone Delivery), a subsidiary of Mongolia’s major infrastructure group Newcom Group, obtained the country’s first commercial drone flight license in 2024. Following comprehensive operational training provided by NEXT DELIVERY Inc., Aeronext’s strategic subsidiary, MSDD launched commercial operations delivering transfusion blood products from the National Blood Transfusion Center to multiple hospitals within Ulaanbaatar.

　Building on this framework, the project achieved the following:

• Regular blood product deliveries from the National Blood Transfusion Center to city hospitals beginning in May
• 422 total deliveries between May and November, transporting blood products for 516 transfusion cases
• Establishment of flight routes to 14 hospitals in Ulaanbaatar
• A three-day postal delivery test conducted jointly with Mongol Post in June 2025
• A long-distance delivery (16.5 km one way) to a suburban resort area conducted with TOK TOK LLC, Mongolia’s largest food delivery operator

　Healthcare institutions expressed strong appreciation for the service.

Safety Operations and Standardization

　NEXT DELIVERY and MSDD collaborated to accumulate operational experience in compliance with Japanese safety standards, leading to standardized operations and the development of operation manuals.

　The team successfully established safe flight operations under Mongolia’s challenging conditions, including extreme cold (approximately -20°C in winter; operations conducted at -10°C or higher), high altitude (approx. 1,300 meters above sea level), and dense urban environments.

２）Aircraft Development

■Advancing Drone Development for the “World’s Coldest Capital”

　In cooperation with local partner companies, aircraft capable of stable flight under harsh conditions—including extreme cold, high altitude, and strong winds—were developed.

　The project generated critical insights applicable to mass production and cold-climate drone development, while also demonstrating Mongolia’s potential as a manufacturing and supply base for cost-competitive, high-quality drones.

３）Business Development and Third-Country Expansion

■Exploration in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

　Needs assessments and partner development efforts were conducted in both countries. Discussions have progressed regarding medical delivery-based business deployment and pilot training programs in collaboration with the Kyrgyz Aviation Institute, with demonstration projects under consideration.

■Strengthened Partnership with Newcom Group

　The strong social recognition of drone-based blood product deliveries in Mongolia has further strengthened Aeronext’s partnership with Newcom Group. Discussions are underway regarding the next phase of collaboration, including potential investment and joint business initiatives.

　The partnership has also led to new relationships with major Mongolian logistics companies and support from Rotary Club organizations, including aircraft donations to MSDD.

Reference

*1 Voices from Healthcare Institutions

Mr. Jagaa (Maternal and Child Health Center)　

“By car, it takes 15 minutes one way—over 30 minutes round trip. Sometimes patients’ conditions worsen before the blood arrives. Every second counts. Saving lives—saving mothers and children—brings immense joy to families. Five patients were saved from critical conditions thanks to drone delivery.”　 People ask if they can entrust thank-you letters to drones, while others take photos or chase after them.

Mr. Davaasuren (Bayangol District Health Center)

“I have worked in blood services for 32 years, and even one minute is precious. We mainly use blood in emergencies, and cars often cannot arrive in time. Drones deliver within six to seven minutes, greatly easing our workload. I drive between four hospitals, transporting patients, children, vaccines, and more, but while waiting for the drone to be delivered, I can handle other tasks. Surgeons are extremely pleased.”

【About Aeronext Inc.】

Aeronext’s mission is “Building a new social infrastructure for the 100-year life era, ensuring prosperity reaches every corner of society.” The company pioneers new value creation using low-altitude airspace. Aeronext provides 4D GRAVITY^®—its proprietary airframe structural design technology that optimizes gravity and aerodynamic characteristics to enhance basic industrial drone performance and improve logistics drone transport capabilities—through its technology licensing business and joint development projects.

Through its strategic subsidiary NEXT DELIVERY Inc., Aeronext also promotes SkyHub^TM, a next-generation smart logistics platform integrating existing ground logistics and drone delivery, as well as a drone operation business led by one of Japan’s most experienced professional teams. SkyHub^TM is already socially implemented across multiple regions in Japan, helping solve local logistics challenges.

*Company profile: https://aeronext.com/about/company/

*Aeronext and the Aeronext logo, NEXT DELIVERY, “4D GRAVITY^®“, and “SkyHub^®” are trademarks of Aeronext Inc.
*Other company and product names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.