M3 Techniques, Pipistrel, and Volocopter Full Deconfliction Flight Exams in France – sUAS Information – The Enterprise of Drones

Paris, France, 23 September 2022 – M3 Techniques, air visitors administration (ATM) and unmanned aerial methods (UAS) operator, gentle and electrical plane producer, Pipistrel, and Volocopter, the pioneer of city air mobility (UAM), have accomplished their first joint flight take a look at marketing campaign in France at Pontoise airfield. The week-long flight assessments simulated three completely different avoidance manoeuvres in real-world conditions the place unexpected circumstances happen, equivalent to a whole airport or vertiport closure, an unavailable last strategy and takeoff (FATO) space, and visitors deconfliction. This joint marketing campaign between the three firms and the French companions, Groupe ADP and its wholly-owned subsidiary Hologarde, aimed to realize clean interplay inside and between the brand new decrease airspace’s unmanned visitors administration (UTM) and commonplace civil aviation ATM methods. 

The aviation {industry} is experiencing an innovation upsurge pushed by know-how and societal strain for brand new types of aviation centered on sustainable, digital, and autonomous air mobility. The ensuing options that cater to this {industry} shift will generate a major improve in visitors density within the aforementioned decrease airspace. Since present ATM methods will not be designed to deal with such volumes or digitalization, harmonizing present and new visitors administration methods for brand-new plane integration will guarantee environment friendly large-scale operations. This contains industrial, common, and drone plane for cargo and passenger flights, each crewed and uncrewed.  

The CORUS-XUAM venture, funded by the European Union’s initiative Single European Sky ATM Analysis (SESAR) Joint Enterprise, focuses on fixing the problem of standard and new visitors administration system integration and consists of 19 companions and 11 associated third events. M3 Techniques, Pipistrel, and Volocopter all accomplished particular person flight take a look at campaigns previous to this occasion as a way to carry their plane in keeping with the U-space companies. The CORUS-XUAM flight take a look at performed at Pontoise airfield close to Paris is the third of a number of flight assessments to simulate a wide range of real-world eventualities that reveal how UTM and ATM intersect with a number of plane varieties. Furthermore, the CORUS-XUAM venture will proceed to proactively take a look at and create a protected and managed decrease airspace below the European Union’s bold Single European Sky (SES) initiative all through 2022.

The profitable flight assessments at Pontoise airfield had been performed with M3 System’s BOREAL remotely piloted plane system, Pipistrel’s crewed Velis Electro, the one type-certified electrical plane in industrial service on the planet, and Volocopter’s full-scale, remotely piloted 2X prototype. Pipistrel makes use of the traditional ATM tower and system whereas Volocopter and M3 Techniques use the UTM system. The next three flight eventualities had been examined: 

• The surprising occupancy of a FATO and plane diversion as a result of precedence touchdown of one other plane – Pipistrel and Volocopter plane.
• The diversion of a flight path as a result of closure of an airport or vertiport – M3 Techniques. 
• The diversion of a flight path with two plane flying the identical path – M3 Techniques and Volocopter plane. 

“M3 Techniques is pleased to be a part of this large-scale European venture,” says Marc Pollina, M3 Techniques CEO. “These profitable assessments verify that our BOREAL UAS can be an enabler for future XUAM operations in conditions the place plane want to soundly divert paths to a different vertiport as a result of an unexpected closure or one other plane within the air. By offering re-routing demonstrations and tactical communications with U-House service suppliers, M3 Techniques can assist future coordination between AAM and airport operators.” 

“Because the producer of the one type-certified electrical plane in industrial service on the planet, Pipistrel is proud to participate in technical tasks that form the imaginative and prescient of air mobility and make progress in a significant method,” mentioned Gabriel Massey, Pipistrel’s President and Managing Director. “The CORUS venture and Paris demonstrations clearly present how UAM automobiles will be capable of fly safely in common airspace post-2030 and can assist to unlock new lower-noise and lower-emission air passenger and air cargo companies.”

“Volocopter is happy to have accomplished one other profitable flight take a look at inside the SESAR CORUS-XUAM venture. Again in 2019, after we first examined the 2X ATM integration at Helsinki airport, we had been actively concerned within the improvement of the European U-House Idea of Operations,” mentioned Oliver Reinhardt, Volocopter’s Chief Threat and Certification Officer (CRCO). “Constructing an environment friendly ecosystem round UAM is Volocopter’s mission, and connecting ATM/UTM integration with our digital platform, VoloIQ, is poised to be an integral a part of bringing UAM to megacities worldwide. I’m trying ahead to the following CORUS-XUAM take a look at flights later this 12 months in Germany and what we will obtain there.” 

This venture has acquired funding from the SESAR Joint Enterprise below the European Union’s Horizon 2020 analysis and innovation program below grant settlement No. 101017682.

About M3 Techniques 

M3 Techniques has been created from engineering actions within the Satellite tv for pc Radio Navigation (GNSS – World Navigation Satellite tv for pc Techniques) area and from consulting actions in ATM (Air Visitors Administration) and Unmanned Plane System Visitors Administration (UTM) sector. Acknowledged at European degree due to sturdy involvement within the Galileo sign definition via research contracts R&D assist actions of the French area Company (CNES) and lots of implications in European Fee, European House Company (ESA) and European Union Company for the House Programme (EUSPA), goal domains of the group are mobility, positioning, information assortment and processing, and surveying, masking the aerial, terrestrial and maritime sectors. The corporate has structured its provide in 4 segments: – Consulting and Utility – Radio Navigation Engineering and Sign Processing – Testing & Measurement – Drones and embedded computer systems. 

The corporate provides (by way of its sister firm BOREAL) the BOREAL Remotely Piloted Plane System for various civilian functions. Its modularity, compact dimension, 8-hour autonomy and nice vary, make it a perfect drone for extremely demanding missions, equivalent to reconnaissance, surveillance, and information assortment. www.boreal-uas.com, www.m3systems.eu. 
About Pipistrel

Based in 1989, Pipistrel is an award-winning gentle plane producer and chief in analysis and improvement of electrical propulsion. Pipistrel produces electrical and combustion fashions for the overall aviation, protection and superior air mobility sectors. Pipistrel’s Velis Electro turned the world’s first, and presently solely, electrical plane to obtain full type-certification from the European Union Aviation Security Company (EASA) in 2020 and earned UK CAA kind certification in 2022.   

Pipistrel’s pioneering work has been acknowledged via awards from NASA, IDC, and different organizations. The corporate, which provides a household of gliders and light-weight plane with each electrical and combustion engines, has delivered greater than 2,500 gentle plane worldwide since its founding and moreover has each hybrid and electrical propulsion fashions below improvement. Pipistrel contains the next firms: PIPISTREL d.o.o., PIPISTREL VERTICAL SOLUTIONS d.o.o and PIPISTREL ITALIA SRL. For extra info, go to: www.pipistrel-aircraft.com.
About Textron Inc.
Pipistrel’s father or mother firm, Textron Inc., is a multi-industry firm that leverages its international community of plane, protection, industrial and finance companies to supply prospects with revolutionary options and companies. Textron is understood all over the world for its highly effective manufacturers equivalent to Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Techniques. For extra info, go to: www.textron.com.

About Volocopter

Volocopter brings city air mobility (UAM) to megacities worldwide. We intention to enhance the standard of life for folks in cities by providing a improbable new mode of transportation. For that, we create sustainable and scalable UAM ecosystems with companions in infrastructure and operations.

Volocopter’s household of eVTOL plane will provide passengers (VoloCity and VoloConnect) and items (VoloDrone) swift, safe, and emission-free connections to their locations, supported by VoloIQ, the UAM ecosystem’s software program platform that serves as its digital spine for protected and environment friendly operations. 

As a pioneer within the UAM {industry}, Volocopter will launch industrial companies inside the subsequent few years. Based in 2011, the corporate employs greater than 500 folks in Germany and Singapore, has accomplished over 1,000 profitable private and non-private take a look at flights, and raised $579 million in fairness from traders, together with Geely, WP Funding, Mercedes-Benz Group, Intel Capital, and BlackRock. www.volocopter.com