Camera drone demonstrates detect and avoid system
The National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), the Netherlands Coastguard, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Schiebel recently reported on a series of flights made with a newly developed airborne detect and avoid system.
The National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), the Netherlands Coastguard, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Schiebel recently reported on a series of flights made with a newly developed airborne detect and avoid system at the airport of Den Helder in December 2015. The ATM Innovative RPAS Integration for Coastguard Applications (AIRICA) project marks a major step forward in the process of safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) into all classes of airspace, said Schiebel.
During a special demonstration held at De Kooy Airfield in Den Helder, Schiebel provided its unmanned helicopter, the Camcopter S-100, onto which the NLR-developed AirScout Detect and Avoid System was installed. The Netherlands Coastguard provided a Dornier Do-228 plane to act as an intruder. The Royal Netherlands Air Force contributed an Alouette helicopter as a second intruder and provided the air traffic control services.
Several scenarios were executed where the Camcopter S-100 ‘unexpectedly’ encountered an intruder aircraft, said Schiebel. The system is said to have determined appropriate corrective action in real time to ensure the necessary separation from the intruder aircraft.
The AIRICA project is funded through the Single European Sky ATM Research programme (part of the Single European Sky initiative), with a focus on integrating remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) into national airspace for Netherlands Coast Guard applications. Edwin van der Pol, the Coast Guard’s head of operations, commented: “In the future, we hope to use unmanned systems for our SAR operations. These trials are important to achieve regulations for bringing RPAS into non-segregated airspace.”