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FOCA authorises Swisscom Broadcast for BVLOS SAIL III test flights at night

Swisscom Broadcast AG, supported by Murzilli Consulting and working in partnership with the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), has secured a further regulatory approval for its Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) III beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations in Switzerland. It authorises Swisscom Broadcast to conduct its first night BVLOS drone SAIL III test campaign in a residual Air Risk Class b (ARC-b) environment.

The campaign will validate the Tactical Mitigation Performance Requirements (TMPRs) and assess the performance of an integrated detect-and-avoid (DAA) solution under representative operational conditions. 

The latest approval amends Swisscom Broadcast’s existing FOCA operational authorisation to permit night BVLOS drone flights along dedicated test routes in the Jura-Südfuss region. It follows the original SAIL III authorisation granted on 19 January 2025 for operations in Ittigen, Bern.

The new night-flight campaign will generate operational evidence on how the integrated DAA system performs during representative BVLOS drone operations. The trials will assess whether the system can detect relevant air traffic, communicate information within the required timeframes and support appropriate operational responses. This evidence will support the continued validation of the TMPRs required for operations in residual ARC-b airspace.

For more information

Murzilli Consulting

Image: Swisscom / Murzilli

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