
Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) offer significant services to civil and military aviation. RPAS access to non-segregated airspace would result in major economic benefits and market opportunities, but this is not yet possible due to safety and operational reasons. The EU-funded project estimates technical and operational opportunities that permit RPASs safe operation in nominal conditions and emergencies in controlled airspace. It also creates and tests solutions without negative impacts on air traffic. The benefits expected from the project are: developing recognised European RPAS operations in non-segregated airspace; enabling civil and military RPAS, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, to operate mixed with the manned traffic under a single European sky; increasing RPAS access to the airspace and equity with conventional traffic; contributions to regulatory and standardisation bodies; assuring interoperability with ATM system within and outside Europe; Safety, Human Performance and Cyber Security.
The project consortium consists of partners who are public entities, agencies involved in air traffic control in a given country and leading companies dealing in technologies related to air traffic control and generally advanced technologies in civil aviation. The partners have broad and documented competences, experience and a long history of mutual cooperation. The solutions developed under the project are intended mainly for agencies and entities involved in traffic control in the airspace of a given country.