NAV CANADA has announced the selection of Indra Group as its technology partner to deliver the RPAS Flight Information Management System (rFIMS), the centralized digital platform at the core of Canada’s evolving framework for the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) into Canadian airspace.
“The announcement is a concrete step forward on the joint vision NAV CANADA and Transport Canada set out in their 2023 RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) Concept of Operations, which laid out a 2030 collaborative ecosystem of NAV CANADA, RTM Service Providers (RSPs), Transport Canada, and industry partners working together to enable safe and sustainable growth in Canadian RPAS operations,” said NAV CANADA in a press release.
“rFIMS will deliver the centralized digital services and key interfaces between NAV CANADA and a growing ecosystem of RSPs that will provide services directly to drone operators and pilots. It will be deployed in phases, with initial capabilities targeted to go live in 2029, beginning with foundational flight management, monitoring and connectivity services, and progressing toward enhanced operational intelligence and tactical conflict management.”
A key outcome of the partnership is greater visibility for the broader Canadian RPAS industry — and prospective RSPs in particular — on how and when they will be engaged as rFIMS comes online, said the ANSP. “NAV CANADA’s architecture has been designed from the outset to be open and to enable third-party RSPs to offer differentiated services to operators across Canada, whether in defined geographic areas or at a national level. Over the coming months, NAV CANADA will work with Transport Canada, prospective RSPs and other industry stakeholders to further develop the framework within which RSPs will operate, including the safety and quality standards required for participation.”
“Canadian RPAS operators and prospective service providers have been waiting for clarity on what comes next,” said Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management at NAV CANADA. “Today’s announcement is the start of a more concrete engagement with that community, with initial rFIMS capabilities targeted to go live in 2029. We look forward to working with industry as we build out the full RTM ecosystem in the years ahead.”
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(Image: Indra)