MANAGEMENT
awareness and collision avoidance technology
FLARM has developed among users over the
past ten years. These technologies can now be
used to complete the air situation display step
by step. The UTM approach of DFS is
therefore not just useful for UAS – it is also a
means to increase safety and visibility in very
low level airspace.
Central digital platform
The UTM system is available at Droniq as a
first version that contains a live traffic display,
registration and mission planning. UAS
tracking functions via a device developed
in-house with a modem and an integrated
SIM card, and mobile or fixed ground
sensors. The next step is to fully integrate the
modem into the UAS.
In view of the potential risks of drones,
there is a need for drone detection systems to
secure sensitive areas such as airports. The
56 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2020
Left: The ground based situational awareness system (GBSAS)
receives the position data for example of other aircraft in the
surrounding airspace (Image: Droniq)
Below: DFS and Deutsche Telekom trialed a drone flight out of
sight together with the German life-saving society DLRG and
watched the drone flight on the air situation display (image:DFS)
multi-sensor data fusion tracker of the UTM
means it is possible to incorporate any drone
detection system and to separate between
registered and rogue UAS. Functions such as
mission clearance, conflict warning,
integration of the command and control link
and real-time data transfer via LTE are
planned in the near future. DFS and Droniq’s
vision is to set up a central digital platform
for UAS services in Germany, which could
become a blueprint for Europe.
Change of the aviation system
Extensive discussions are taking place in the
European Commission, in SESAR and with
EASA about the future of UTM deployment
architecture and the role of ANSPs and their
relationship to the future third-party UTM
service providers (USPs).
DFS foresees a national UTM in the hands
of the ANSPs, at least for the core functions
of registration, surveillance integration and
tracking as well as for reference AIM data
and meteorological information provision,
where a single source of truth is needed.
UTM covers a large range of topics and there
is room for functions such as fleet
management, and payload services for the
competitive marketplace. The market is at
the beginning of a long development path
and our future will see a fundamentally
changed aviation system. v