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by spring of 2023. Project team partners users in the airspace, improving safety and cybersecurity, and
include ANRA Technologies, AX Enterprize, interoperability between the stakeholders involved.
Cal Analytics, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office,
Oneida Indian Nation, and OneSky. Each of A DLT allows thousands of independent computers to share over-
these partners were selected based on their sight of the history of data (who did what and when). The system
leadership in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems includes ‘smart contracts’, controls over user actions backed
(UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) technology up by coded security. Artificial Intelligence will enhance cyber-
and their willingness to continue to progress security measures for the DLTs, allowing for constant real-time
the state of the technology. The partners data collection, processing and authorisation during operations.
are an essential part of conducting the test-
ing necessary to evaluate the ability of new Automation and Autonomy Will
constructs to enhance the capabilities of
UTM for future operations. Test infrastruc- Unlock Huge Benefits
ture updated through field testing activities
will allow for the continued collaboration Report coordinator, Dr Dimitrios Panagiotakopoulos, Senior
between the FAA and UTM community and Lecturer in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management
support the maturation of a UTM ecosystem. at Cranfield University, said: “Human operators in traditional
ATM are already facing high workloads and a deluge of data
The project will provide the FAA and industry from different information systems, flight planning, radar and
with information to support policy develop- weather. The current approach isn’t scalable to meet the needs
ment and will help industry update standards of a more complex and demanding hybrid airspace of crewed
to support BVLOS operations – a critical and uncrewed traffic.
element in unlocking the true potential of
routine, commercial drone operations. “To access the huge potential benefits of a new kind of airspace
there has to be more automation and autonomy — but that
According to a PWC and UKRI report in can only happen with watertight systems and a shared sense
2021, uncrewed and autonomous aviation of trust.”
will unlock £42 billion for the UK economy
by 2030 through cost-savings, productivity Yann Cabaret, CEO of SITA FOR AIRCRAFT said: “Not dissimilar
gains and new jobs. to the wider air transport industry, the successful introduction
of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems will rely heavily on secure data
A new report — published in June this year exchange between operators, airports and air traffic manage-
— sets out how collaboration in the avia- ment. Through this research partnership we are confident that
tion industry can increase the much-needed using DLTs will improve the flow of actionable data between
levels of automation and autonomy in ATM, transportation stakeholders to support the efficient and safe
and meet safety standards for uncrewed traf- operation of unmanned aircraft in future. At SITA, we have
fic being set out by the International Civil already demonstrated the benefits of DLT in tracking aircraft
Aviation Organisation. With this established, parts to sharing operational data at the airport. This is a natural
elements of a hybrid airspace are predicted extension of that work.”
to be in place from 2024.
Cross-Sector Collaboration Vital
Increasing Transparency for Hybrid Airspace

and Trust
The development of an UTM system using cross-cutting technol-
The new picture of a working UTM under- ogies—Distributed Ledgers and Artificial Intelligence— proposes
pinned by blockchain-style technology, a new governance framework that sets a series of rules for those
has been based on a research partnership stakeholders participating in a distributing ledger, so that they
between 13 consortium partners, includ- can provide and receive data and services in a trustworthy envi-
ing Cranfield, Heathrow Airport, IAG, NATS, ronment. It also highlights the need for modernisation of ATM to
SITA, Cirium and Oxford University as well allow for interoperability between UTM and ATM: making ATM
as UK-based startups and small-to-medium and UTM information accessible to all relevant stakeholders.
enterprises.
Dr Panagiotakopoulos said, “We only have one way forward
Progress to the creation of a UTM will be when it comes to delivering the transformation needed, and
accelerated by the use of a package of tech- that is cross-sector collaboration. A common vision and com-
nologies that increase levels of transparency munications are needed between the UTM service and digital
and trust, the report said. infrastructure providers, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle operators,

In particular, Distributed Ledger Technologies physical infrastructure providers, ATM service providers, regu-
(DLTs) — similar to the blockchain technol- lators, local and regional authorities, and all the stakeholders
ogy — can be used to ensure there is secure that might have some point of interaction with this new aviation
registration and identification of the different ecosystem.”

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