TEMPAERIS demonstrates UAV integration

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The TEMPAERIS consortium has demonstrated the capability to integrate a remote controlled aircraft in to civilian air traffic.

This evaluation was performed around Bordeaux-Merignac airport, during the first week of February. This has been part of SESAR RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) demonstration projects.

The TEMPAERIS consortium is led by DSNA, the French company ANSP, together with partners Airbus Defense & Space, Airbus Prosky, Sopra Steria and ENAC, the French academy for civil aviation.

According to air traffic management net, the system used in the demonstration exercises was a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) demonstrator representative of a real UAV system.

Aimed s at assessing the feasibility to introduce RPAS in non-segregated airspace in mid traffic density environment, the TEMPAERIS project will also involve actual UAV flights. They will be conducted soon, in order to investigate the impact of RPAS insertion on a middle size airport (Bordeaux). This manned flight campaign will focus on assessing the impact of slow RPAS (MALE) on traffic safety and regularity at a mid-sized, mid-traffic density airport.

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The project will also focus on assessing the impact on ATC performance of RPAS non nominal modes (communication failure, command and control failure). ATC simulations will also be performed, on the Bordeaux lower airspace, in order to further investigate human related to RPAS insertion in non-segregated airspace.

The UAS was developed by Airbus Defense & Space, based on an aircraft MCR4S controlled from the ground by a remote control station through a datalink. The system is functionally and operationally representative of a tactical or MALE drone or UAS (unmanned aerial system). A safety pilot was on board.

The experiments conducted included an assessment of the feasibility of such an aircraft to operate in traffic from a regional air hub, especially with radar vectoring. Failure procedures and unusual situations were also tested such as loss of radio link, failure of the GPS navigation system, loss of RPAS control link. These procedures are essential to insure the seamless integration of RPAS into non segregated airspace.

The flight program was successfully carried out, despite adverse weather conditions. The results will be published by June 2015.