26 September 2023
NATS believes the use widespread electronic conspicuity on aircraft is key to expanding the use of drones in UK airspace.
NATS released a statement late yesterday to coincide with the DroneX conference and exhibition which opens at London’s ExCel today.
Russell Porter, NATS Head of New Airspace User Engagement, said: “We’ve supported a range of trials and individual projects around the UK, but each of those requires the creation of temporarily segregated airspace so those drones can fly ‘beyond visual line of sight’.
“That’s not scalable in the longer term, and our white paper sets out the policy changes that would enable the industry to flourish.”
Among white paper’s recommendations is a call for the adoption of electronic conspicuity technology to strengthen the principle of ‘see and avoid’ by adding the ability to ‘detect and be detected’ for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
The use of more Transponder Mandatory Zones (TMZs) is also mooted.
The white paper, titled, ‘South of the Clouds’ can be downloaded here.
The public supports the wide use of drones for everything from couriering medicines through to parcel delivery and border control, according to research carried out for NATS by Ipsos UK.
“Three-quarters of the UK public support drones being used by the emergency services, 70% support their use for infrastructure projects, such as inspecting powerlines, and 55% support the idea of them being used for routine deliveries,” said the NATS statement.
Russell Porter added, “The potential for drones is huge and it’s positive to see the public becoming more aware of this and supportive of it.
“As the professional use of drones is on the rise in the UK, with lots of innovative work being done, we’ve been working with drone companies, the Department for Transport, Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to help shape government policy and the regulation the industry is asking for.”
NATS is the keynote sponsor of the DroneX conference and exhibition at the London Excel centre on 26 – 27 September. Its Safety & Sustainability Director, Dave Curtis, will address delegates on how NATS hopes to help unlock the full potential of new airspace users.
