The SESAR Joint Undertaking’s ENSURE project has achieved an important step in advancing the safe and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft into controlled airspace. As part of its Horizon Europe-funded development roadmap, the consortium has completed a successful series of TRL4 validations of the “ATM and U-space Interface and Services” solution, culminating in a project Open Day hosted in Iceland.
The TRL4 validations, conducted on 26 May by Tern Systems, HungaroControl and Unifly, focused on three emergency-related use cases and moved towards refining a standardised architecture for interoperability between conventional and unmanned traffic. The exercises took place at Tern Systems’ facilities in Iceland, using the Polaris ATM system, the Orion Simulator and Unifly’s UTM platform.
The validation exercises focused on three realistic emergency scenarios: an aircraft in distress, a loss of C2 link with a UAS inside controlled airspace and a UAS emergency occurring within an airport environment. “Each scenario was carefully evaluated with the support of three experienced air traffic controllers, alongside human factors and safety experts,” the project team said on June 10. “Their input was crucial in assessing the operational feasibility and safety of the proposed interface. The trials demonstrated the solution’s potential to significantly enhance situational awareness, giving controllers access to real-time UAS data while allowing UAS operators to receive timely information on nearby manned aircraft.”
ENSURE team leaders said initial results suggest the interface supports safe operational conditions and improves the flow of information between ATM and U-space environments. Further development is planned, with more mature validation phases to follow later in 2025.
To mark the successful outcome of the TRL4 exercises, ENSURE partners held an Open Day on 28 May at Isavia ANS facilities in Iceland. Participants from across the consortium, including project stakeholders and aviation experts, gathered to review the early results and engage with the technology.
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