Plans will be developed to enable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to operate routinely within European airspace under an agreement reached today with members of an aerospace consortium.
The agreement between the European Defence Agency and the Air4All consortium will result in a progressive plan to integrate UAVs with other European air traffic by 2015.
Air4All includes BAE Systems, EADS, Alenia Aeronautica, Dassault Aviation, Saab, Thales and other companies. The development contract is worth €500,000 ($735,000).
It will work with Eurocontrol, the European Aviation Safety Agency and other organisations on the programme which will assist air traffic management providers, industry and airworthiness authorities to develop a joint agenda for common European UAV activities.
Air4All project director Dave Kershaw says the initiative will “provide a nucleus for setting realistic goals” which will lead to UAVs operating in “total harmony” with other airspace users.
Assignment of the contract follows Eurocontrol’s publication, at the end of last year, of specifications laying down how military UAVs should operate in European airspace.
UAVs are subject to restrictions when they fly outside of designated zones and Eurocontrol says these limit UAV capabilities. Its specification publication has emerged from a military request to develop a framework to let UAVs to operate in all classes of airspace.
Before UAVs will be allowed to operate routinely outside their allocated zones, however, Eurocontrol says new technology – such as collision-avoidance equipment – will need to be developed.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: FlightGlobal.com
