Team Bath Drones have placed second in an international competition to design and build an unmanned flying vehicle.

The student engineers earned the silver medal spot at the four-day-long IMechE UAS Challenge earlier this month, becoming the UK and Europe’s top-placed team.

Taking part in the contest for the first time in five years, Team Bath Drones faced strong competition from a total of 38 registered teams, 20 of which went on to fly at the finals event at BMFA Buckminster in Leicestershire. The event, being held for the 10th time, was the biggest to date and tested teams in flying simulated humanitarian missions.

Bath placed second behind Beihang University (China), while Estonia Aviation Academy rounded out the podium.

During the competition, Team Bath Drones won the Safety award for rigorous pre-flight processes and overall professionalism throughout the competition. The team was also first to fly and first to perform an autonomous take-off and successful payload drop.

Team Manager, Lewis Gillin, said: "Since September, Team Bath Drones (TBD) have been designing, building and flying Neptune, our autonomous 10kg aircraft. It was a great experience that we plan to replicate in the challenge next year.

“Alongside taking second place and winning the safety award, one highlight was the competition’s Chief Pilot having so much faith in Neptune’s airworthiness that he flew a 5-minute aerobatic performance, in front of the entire cohort of international students and staff. We were the only team to do this, lots of staff and students approached after the flight to congratulate our achievements.”

Professor Gary Lock, who supervises the team, said: “What an achievement – finishing second overall at the international competition and the top UK team. All credit to the students who designed, built, and flight-tested their flying vehicle over the course of four months.”

Dr Sam Bull, who will oversee the team from next year, said: "It was an absolute pleasure to watch the team receive their awards. This achievement is a testament to their skill, dedication, and teamwork - and we are incredibly proud of them."

Their success also reflects the support of the supervisory team, headed by Gary Lock, the technician support during the build stage, PGR students Joe Dawe, Lonox Huang, and George Smith, Andy Haasz, and the guidance from Leonardo Helicopters.