Dynamic Airspace Re-configuration for Manned and Unmanned Operations in Shared Airspace

Abstract

In the near future, it is expected that an increasing number of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) will operate at very low level altitudes of up to 500 ft in urban and suburban areas. These new airspace users will have to share the available airspace with manned traffic, and dynamic airspace re-configuration (DAR) has been considered within the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) Programme as one of the enablers for the integration of unmanned and manned traffic in non-segregated airspace. The SESAR Industrial Research Project AURA investigated requirements for an interface between Air Traffic Management (ATM) controlled airspace and highly automated U-space airspace for large numbers of unmanned aircraft to identify practical segregation methods. ATM U-space Shared Airspace (AUSA) was defined as a generic type of airspace that can be delegated between the two regimes by a process called Dynamic Airspace Re-configuration (DAR). AURA results indicated that DAR processes will need refinement to better streamline communication between all actors. Furthermore, investigated U-space contingency scenarios showed that different types of situations need different DAR approaches. Accordingly, automation support levels may also change when different types of contingency are encountered. The ENSURE project, which is part of the SESAR 3 Programme and started its work in 2023, is expected to address these communication and automation issues in the DAR process and validate the changes through simulations and flight trials. This paper describes the steps that have been and will be taken by the ENSURE project to improve DAR automation and, in particular, the communication between airspace managers working with DAR support tools to accommodate drone operations with frequently changing mission requirements, and the fleet managers and drone pilots carrying out these missions. It will also give an outlook into the different types of simulations planned as well as the operational scenarios considered for future demo flights above the North Sea validating both procedures and developed interfaces between ATM and UTM actors.