CASE C19 · SE ·
LKAB Kiruna mine: ore-pass inspection cut from 8 hours to 20 minutes
Swedish miner LKAB switched ore-pass inspection at its Kiruna mine from a lowered 300 kg wagon to a LiDAR drone. One flight covers 300–350 m, reportedly cutting the job from about 8 hours to 20 minutes and from two people to one. Cost savings were not quantified.
| Owner | LKAB |
| Provider | — |
| Location | Kiruna, Sweden |
| Aircraft | Flyability Elios 3 with Surveying (LiDAR) payload and high-capacity battery |
| Sensors | LiDAR, 4K camera |
Before
Lowering a 300 kg camera/laser wagon down the ore pass: two people, a full shift, with shadowed, incomplete data.
With drones
One in-house pilot flies a single flight covering a 300–350 m ore pass with LiDAR.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| inspection time | from about 8 hours to 20 minutes per ore pass | Reported |
| crew | 1 pilot vs 2 people | Reported |
| cost | 'significant', not quantified | Reported |
Caveats & limits
- Manufacturer case study; year not stated; cost savings not quantified.
- No drone limitations described.
Sources
- From 8 Hours to 20 Minutes for an Ore Pass Inspection with DronesFlyability Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22