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SoftBank Disaster Relief Unit

2026 DRONE TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS RELAY FLIGHT TESTING disaster response cellular communications

History

SoftBank developed the Disaster Relief Unit (DRU) Pod to provide mobile communications from the air when terrestrial networks are disrupted during large-scale disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. The project was selected in 2023 under the Beyond 5G (6G) Fund Program promoted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) through the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), as part of a commissioned research project titled Development of Aerial Mobile Network Systems for Rapid Coverage Restoration in Disaster-Affected Areas. In March 2026, SoftBank conducted a preliminary verification trial by mounting the DRU Pod on a helicopter in Kuroshio Town, Hata District, Kochi Prefecture. On July 27, 2026, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) flight-tested the DRU Pod on an MQ-9B SeaGuardian large remotely piloted aircraft owned by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), conducted through inter-ministerial cooperation between MIC and the JCG. This marked the first time in Japan that mobile communications were successfully provided from the air using a DRU Pod designed and manufactured in Japan for a large remotely piloted aircraft system.

Design

The DRU Pod is a communications payload that houses communication equipment and antennas. It is designed and manufactured in Japan based on GA-ASI design data and quality requirements. The pod is mounted on the host aircraft and employs gimbal technology that compensates for aircraft motion in real time, enabling the antennas to continuously track the ground gateway and service area regardless of changes in aircraft attitude or turbulence.

Network architecture

The system uses a two-link architecture. On the ground, a gateway consisting of an LTE base station and a frequency conversion repeater is established. For the feeder link, radio waves in the 2.1 GHz band from the ground base station are converted to the 3.3 GHz band by the repeater and transmitted to the airborne DRU Pod. The communication relay equipment inside the DRU Pod converts the signals back to the 2.1 GHz band to provide communication services to mobile terminals on the ground via the service link.

Integration and certification

For flight deployment, SoftBank completed conformity verification covering raw materials, manufacturing processes, functionality, and configuration management. Aircraft integration required evaluations of thermal environments and electromagnetic compatibility. Following ground functional checks and preliminary safety reviews, safety confirmation tests verified that the DRU Pod effects on aircraft stability, maneuverability, vibration characteristics, and existing aircraft systems remained within safe operational limits. Airworthiness approval was then obtained for the aircraft configuration equipped with the DRU Pod.

Program status

As of late 2026, the DRU Pod remains in the verification and development phase. SoftBank plans to use data from the MQ-9B trial to enhance the pod and related technologies and study operational methods, with the goal of deploying emergency coverage solutions for use during disasters. The companies have identified disaster-relief and recovery operations, including areas affected by floods and other natural disasters, as the primary target application.