Technology is continuously evolving in the unmanned aviation industry and that brings both opportunities and challenges. To discuss both and shape the future of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), we’re bringing together industry leaders, academia, government officials, and international organizations for ICAO’s DRONE ENABLE 2023 Symposium. Though the ICAO unmanned aircraft systems event is taking place from 5-7 December 2023 in Montréal, we will be streaming the discussions on ICAO TV for on demand viewing for those who can’t be here in person.
This year’s symposium carries the theme, “Innovation and infrastructure developments supporting the future of unmanned aviation.” This is such an important opportunity for professionals, enthusiasts, and stakeholders within the unmanned aviation sector to explore, discuss, and collaborate on the latest advancements and challenges in this dynamic field.
At the heart of DRONE ENABLE 2023 is a commitment to fostering dialogue among key players from industry, academia, government, and international organizations. Participants will engage in the exchange of cutting-edge research, best practices, and lessons learned, addressing critical areas such as unmanned aircraft systems traffic management (UTM), communication, navigation, surveillance (CNS), and spectrum management. The symposium will also delve into the realm of advanced air mobility (AAM), an integral component that requires collective attention for the seamless integration of unmanned aircraft into the global aviation system.
A notable feature of DRONE ENABLE 2023 is the curated selection of speakers, chosen based on their submissions to this year’s Request for Information (RFI).
Earlier this year we put out a Request for Information (RFI) where we collect information from submissions and use it to develop a globally harmonized, common framework to support the development and deployment of UTM systems and facilitate the increased integration of unmanned aircraft (UA). As new types of operations are being introduced in areas where civil aviation operations have not commonly been conducted (e.g. low-level urban and rural), identification of new communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) capabilities will be required to enable such operations. The CNS infrastructure used by conventional aviation was not designed to provide services in those areas and by introducing new types of operations, the aviation community will have to identify, in particular, what CNS infrastructure will be required, what performance it will need to meet, how it will operate, frequency spectrum requirements for that, and by whom it will be provided. Consideration will also need to be given to any new spectrum requirements for the new CNS infrastructure.
The rapid growth of unmanned aviation in the last two decades was made possible by the significant technological developments made across many industries, including hardware and software. Adding to these developments are new types of propulsion systems and new, highly automated aircraft that require minimal intervention, whether by an on-board or remote pilot. These changes are leading to what is referred to as “advanced air mobility” (AAM) which is aiming to transform the mobility scheme in cities, other urban/semi urban areas and between such areas.
AAM, as an ecosystem, relies on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft carrying passengers, cargo and mail initially for short and medium distances, from aerodromes and other operating sites. It might include aerial work, mostly employing smaller UA. Some of those operations are expected to cross international borders. AAM also brings new infrastructure requirements, including for CNS and operating sites. It raises questions on the role of the pilot/remote pilot in the context of increasing levels of automation and autonomy, as well as how to achieve integration of unmanned and manned aviation in that respect. Another emerging issue is how to address fundamental prerequisites such as flight rules.
The RFI for the 2023 DRONE ENABLE problem statements focused on the following two areas: CNS solutions to enable operations in new, low-level areas; and identification of critical elements of AAM as well as key priorities for which global solutions will be sought.
Topic 1: What solutions are needed or are being developed to address CNS requirements in low-level airspace?
Current CNS infrastructure was not designed to provide coverage in urban environments or in most low level areas other than in the proximity of aerodromes. Many UA are intended to be operated at low level (typically below 1000 ft. above ground level), whether conducting delivery operations or aerial work. Consideration will need to be given to technologies to fulfil the CNS requirements for UTM systems in these areas, whether existing or new. Consideration will also need to be given to identification of suitably protected frequency spectrum for use by CNS applications in a UTM environment, associated with manned or unmanned aviation.
- What CNS technologies will be able to provide the services needed in urban and/or low-level airspace?
- CNS performance requirements (i.e. integrity, availability, accuracy, reliability) will need to be established – to what values?
- What mitigation measures would need to be implemented by the various stakeholders in the event of a loss of CNS services?
- What potential solutions are available to address the challenge of limited spectrum availability to support new CNS capabilities, including “vehicle-to-vehicle” (V2V) communications and
electronic conspicuity (e-conspicuity) functions?
Topic 2: Critical elements of AAM requiring global interoperability and harmonization.
Concepts for AAM ecosystems are being developed in several regions and under various national or regional regulatory regimes, with and by, States and industry. Through these efforts, challenges and priorities for implementation are starting to be identified. Although it is recognized that AAM ecosystems will be designed to solve local and regional needs and interests, there may be issues requiring consideration at the global level. Interoperability of systems and capabilities is often presented as an enabler to the deployment of AAM operations in multiple locations, as the use of similar requirements can avoid duplicative or divergent solutions, while fostering trust and acceptance. When responding, please focus on globally applicable considerations.
- What are the elements of the AAM ecosystem that may require global solutions, and why?
- Which elements of the regulatory framework can be addressed locally or regionally as opposed to those requiring global approaches, in order to support safe, secure and efficient AAM operations?
- What are the benefits of having globally harmonized frameworks?
- Which stakeholders, particularly those outside of the traditional aviation community, should be involved in efforts towards further global standardization of AAM?
- What are the key issues that States and industry need ICAO to address in the next 3-5 and 6-10 years to support AAM operations?
Many of the DRONE ENABLE 2023 speakers were selected based on their submissions to the RFI. The symposium provides opportunities for networking, collaboration and coordination between civil aviation authorities, industry and both new and existing stakeholders as we move forward in this dynamic field. It also provides a unique opportunity to progress a comprehensive and harmonized regulatory framework to support UAS activities. For those who can’t attend in person, we will upload recordings of all the discussions that take place throughout the programme on ICAO TV for on demand viewing. There is no charge to subscribe to our video platform.
