European Partners Launch New UAS Airspace Initiative
Piaggio Aero's P.1HH HammerHead UAS with maximum gross takeoff weight of 13,550 pounds. Photo: AUVSI.
The European Defence Agency and European Space Agency have launched the second version of their unmanned aircraft integration project to support the use of UAS in non-segregated airspace.
The DeSIRE II demonstration, which stands for Demonstration of Satellites enabling the Insertion of RPAS in Europe, which kicked off April 9, is expected to run for 18 months with a total cost of €2.6 million.
The program — described by speakers at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Europe earlier this year — will use Piaggio Aero’s P.1HH HammerHead UAS as a flying testbed for new capabilities using UAS including environmental monitoring, maritime surveillance, crisis management and other missions. The program will also test and demonstrate satellite command and control links.
Telespazio, a satellite communications company, will act as the prime contractor and systems integrator. The results from DeSIRE II will help define future satellite-based command and control datalinks, according to the EDA.
DeSIRE II follows on the original DeSIRE, also a joint EDA-ESA program led by Spain’s Indra company from 2011 to 2013. That project culminated in a series of flight demonstrations of a UAS successfully using a satellite link to help it safely share the sky with other aircraft.
ESA will invest €1.2 million in the project, EDA will chip in €600,000 and the remaining €800,000 will come from the participating industrial consortium, which includes leader Telespazio as well as e-GEOS, Selex ES, Piaggio Aero, ViaSat, Skyguide and AEdel Aerospace GmbH.
