Switzerland’s Federal office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and the Swiss U-Space Implementation (SUSI) public-private partnership have finalised the first Concept of Operations (ConOps) for the introduction of U-space services in Switzerland. ConOps Version 1.1 incorporates the latest developments in terms of standards and technologies, as well as the new European U-space regulations.
The Swiss U-Space ConOps explains the goals of the Swiss U-Space programme, the scope and operational concept, lists and explains the roles of the various stakeholders, and provides the definitions and purposes of the Swiss U-space services currently envisioned.
Switzerland launched its U-Space programme in December 2018 and established a national public-private partnership composed of the regulator, the air navigation service provider and industry participants to establish best practices, standards and business models to inform the regulatory process.
The ConOps presents a vision for the Swiss U-Space and aims to describe the associated high-level requirements for developing and deploying operations, manned and unmanned, within the Swiss U-Space system. U-Space services shall contribute to safe, secure and environmentally friendly operations in a way that also respects the privacy of the citizens.
Significant policy and regulatory requirements are necessary to integrate UAS into the airspace. Most importantly, any policy effort at national level must be compatible with existing or planned European and international rules. The existing European UAS regulation already provides a unified framework for the establishment of basic U-Space services. UAS and U-Space technologies, as well as operations, will need to keep maturing to shape and address present and future regulatory requirements. A close collaboration between regulators and industry stakeholders is therefore mandatory. In particular, the implementation of U-Space services requires a common and reliable reference model that is sufficiently robust to encourage investments, plan new operations and create job opportunities, hence the creation by FOCA and industry of the Swiss U-Space Implementation (SUSI) Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The Concept of Operations is available here: https://bit.ly/39P0ReM
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