Cargo Drone Airspace Integration in Very Low Level Altitude

Abstract

Current initiatives to integrate UAS into airspace mostly target small or medium-sized drones. However, it is foreseeable that there will be a demand for cargo UAS with a payload in the range of about 1000 kg. It is proving to be a challenge to integrate these larger drones into a national airspace. The concept of choice for this problem is to use the EASA Specific Category. In this category it is possible that the reliability of the vehicles is not maximised by increasingly complex system components, but that the drones are guided on special trajectories so that any accident that occurs does not result in fatalities and only financial losses. The advantage is that the concept can be realized with existing technology and only moderate effort for new equipment on board and on ground.

However, this poses some further challenges to air traffic procedures. In Germany and Europe in general, the airspace is densely occupied, especially near airports. UAS missions should disturb this existing structure as little as possible. An integration concept must therefore ensure that the future air cargo system can strategically or at least tactically avoid any potential risk, regardless of whether it is a conurbation, an industrial infrastructure or other aircraft.

We present an integration concept for airspace structure, communication infrastructure and information management. Based on publicly available data on population and ground infrastructure, we present exemplary calculations that show the concept’s feasibility.