Page 17 - AAA JANUARY-MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

that Singapore has taken the lead in develop-
ing an UTM system tailored to its needs. The
country, which is keen on becoming the world’s
first Smart Nation, is aware that accelerating
the development and deployment of UAS
operations on a big scale is key to achieving
its goal. Beside Maritime Drone Estate, where
drones are tested for maritime applications, the
country is also working to set up designated
drone-flying areas.

Invasion of Airspace
With air passenger traffic not expected to
recover to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024,
industry analysts expect UAVs to be the most
dynamic growth sector of the global aerospace
industry over the next decade. In Europe alone,
it is estimated that there will be seven million and efficient manner, during all phases of their flights, including
drones in use for recreational purposes and operations in the designated drone-fly zones.
another four hundred thousand for commercial
purposes by 2035. Airbus is investing both in the development of unmanned urban
air mobility vehicles as well as in designing UTM systems. The
The global UTM market, which was valued at company’s single-seat, tilt-wing Vahana eVTOL demonstrator,
about US$538 million in 2018, is expected to which first flew in January 2018, performed its last test flight in
grow at a compounded annual growth rate November 2019. CityAirbus, an all-electric, four-seat, multicopter
(CAGR) of over 20 percent during the period vehicle demonstrator that focuses on advancing remotely piloted
2019–2025 and touch US$1.5 billion by 2025. eVTOL flight, conducted its first take-off in May 2019.
Commercial and industrial applications of
UAVs such as surveillance, search and rescue, In May 2018, Leonardo was selected by ENAV, the company that
environmental monitoring, oil & gas pipeline manages civilian air traffic in Italy, as its industrial partner for the
inspections, spraying of agricultal crops, and development of an air traffic control system for UAVs. The industrial
same-day delivery of e-commerce orders are team also includes subsidiary Telespazio and IDS - Ingegneria Dei
expected to be the main catalyst for the growth Sistemi. The proposed UTM system will integrate multiple technol-
of the UTM market. ogies for the safe handling, in civil airspace, of cooperating UAVs.
The system will also support pre-flight planning, flight surveillance,
In spite of all the developments in the field, emergency management and flight data recording.
BVLOS still remains an emerging technology
with operations at a relatively small scale. L3Harris, another major player in the ATM field, has developed
With commercial UAV operations set to RangeVue Pro, the first airspace situational-awareness tool
explode because of the exponential increase designed specifically for UAS BVLOS operations. The tool, which
in e-commerce, and urban air mobility vehicles employs advanced algorithms to project potential collisions with
a reality waiting to happen, there is pressure manned aircraft, provides real-time and precise surveillance of the
on regulatory agencies to approve large-scale operational airspace allowing UAS pilots to complete their missions
BVLOS operations. UTM systems are designed safely while staying clear of manned aircraft traffic. The company is
to streamline operations and address safety also working with Grand Sky Business and Aviation Park and Harris
concerns over such operations, thus facilitating Corporation on the first unmanned aerial system (UAS) airspace,
growth in the elevated mobility market.
Companies in the Fray
Other companies are also busy working to
ensure safety in drone operations. In June last
year, Airbus, in association with the Maritime
and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the
Infocomm Media Development Authority
(IMDA) and M1 Limited conducted coastal 5G
standalone (SA) network trials at the Singapore
Maritime Drone Estate. The trials in real-world
environments were part of the attempts to
demonstrate that drones can operate in a safe

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