By Philip Butterworth-Hayes
Over the coming months much will be written about the sad demise of one of the global UTM industry’s pioneers, Altitude Angel. Apart from an urgent need for a low-level airspace management company to take over the services they have been delivering there are two main strategic takeaways which require an urgent response, or at least recognition. The first is that it is becoming clearer every day that the current regulatory framework in which European Union (and UK) UTM and U-space service providers have to operate is not appropriate for the delivery of a modern digital services market. The second is that at a time when Europe’s low-level airspace is under threat as never before, any reduction in the capability to secure borders and effectively manage traffic in this rapidly-growing (in theory) low-level economy has profound consequences for the security of the continent.
In November 2018 Altitude Angel and partners demonstrated Project Zenith, which showed the maturity of UTM system technical capabilities by managing a series of complex drone operations at a busy operational airport, including the detection and subsequent management of a rogue drone entering the airspace area under control of the UTM system. Seven years later and this technology is only slowly being deployed in Europe and even then with just the sporadic approval of national and European Union regulators. Put simply, it is taking far too long to deploy UTM systems with far too much regulation, given the risks involved. In contrast, regulators in China, the USA and the Middle East are now racing to develop flexible regulatory systems which will allow different types of UTM services to be deployed by drone delivery companies, eVTOL operators, ports and cities as well as national governments. Under the current European (and UK) regulatory framework it is still difficult to see how small and medium sized enterprises can make money out of supplying these services – and the consequences of this are now being made apparent. “The cost and complexity of the regulatory environment we live in is having and will continue to have significant impact on our industry and the success, scaling and longevity of SMEs is in jeopardy,” said Julie Garland, President of the Joint European Drone Associations (JEDA).
This is not news to the European drone community. Altitude Angel is unlikely to be that last European drone services SME to fail. But its loss (unless the considerable technology and expertise that Altitude Angel has accumulated can be transferred to a new owner) is taking place at a time of rapidly deteriorating low-level altitude security in Europe.
“We need these companies to build European resilience, they are vital foundations against Russia while ensuring the continent’s independence from the USA,” said Koen De Vos, Secretary-General of the Global UTM Association (GUTMA). “I hope this is a wake-up call for European authorities that we need to build UK and European capabilities in this area.”
That ability to spot the rogue drone among growing swarms of friendly delivery drones, eVTOLs, personal flying vehicles and large cargo drones and manage its safe removal from the skies is the bedrock to the development of a healthy European low-level airspace ecosystem. That ability has been diminished over the last twenty-four hours.
And a final, personal note. Altitude Angel has been an aviation pioneer and the technology it has developed along with the spirit and entrepreneurial drive of its executive team have been inspirational and will neither be lost nor forgotten. Thank you for all your contributions.
(Image: Shutterstock)
