Estonian Air Navigation Services coordinating research project in UAV operation

2021-02-08
BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – The state-owned company Estonian Air Navigation Services and the SESAR JU joint undertaking established by the European Commission are launching a project in research concerning the integration of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations in urban airspace, called GOF 2.0.

As a result of the continuous development and increased deployment of UAVs, the need has increased to devise technologies and conditions for developing the safe, secure, and sustainable integration of UAV operations in urban airspace, spokespeople for Estonian Air Navigation Services said.

Under the framework of the GOF U-space project tested in real-life conditions in the summer of 2019, altogether seven tests were conducted, from which it appeared that a shared environment in which all aerial vehicles use the same data is significantly safer and more precise.

Now, UAVs will be tested in urban airspace during the next two years.

With the tests under the GOF 2.0 project, the participants in the project wish to develop the market and technical components for UAVs to understand how to better integrate the organization UAV operations in an airspace with intense traffic. An interoperable shared airspace would enable easy sharing of safety information, to which also oversight by relevant authorities would be applied.

The consortium of the GOF 2.0 project is made up of 13 partners and organizations from the field of UAVs and aviation.

The project is coordinated by Estonian Air Navigation Services, and the 13 partners in it are CAFA Tech, Dimetor, Droneradar, EHang, Fintraffic ANS, Frequentis, IBCh PAS PSNC, PANSA, Robots-Expert, Therod Systems, Unmanned Systems Limited, and Vaisala Oyj.

Estonian Air Navigation Services, or Lennuliiklusteeninduse AS, is a company within the area of administration of the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the company's main activity is the provision of air navigation services for domestic and international flights. The sole owner of its shares is the state of Estonia.