"Dronized" society realized by application of BVLOS flights over urban area.
The "future with numbers of drones flying everywhere" is coming near. Expectation and concerns arising out of this new law revision.
Innovative solutions are needed in this new age. Applications of drones are rapidly growing in various industries.
In Japan, the Civil Aeronautics Act was revised on Dec.5, 2022 and it permitted autonomous BVLOS flights of drones in populated area upon fulfilling several requirements, such as installation of Remote ID transmitting device or registration of aircraft, etc.
From this revision of regulation, it is expected that new services that enrich our daily life will emerge, such as drone delivery in urban areas, video- or photo-shooting with drones in highly populated areas, and rescue by drones in natural disasters.
However, the more uses of drones expand, the more concerns about safety may increase. How can we ensure safety in case there are dangerous drones such as unregistered drones or drones illegally operated ones?
Drones invisible on UTM (UAS Traffic Management) system
UTM system only displays drones with Remote ID
When drones are operated in designated airspace, monitoring will take place on UAV Traffic Management (UTM) systems in order to check that such drones are operated in accordance to flight plans approved in advance.
So, what about the drones without Remote ID transmitters or prior aircraft registration?
UTM systems cannot monitor such drones that don't emit Remote ID data. In case the operators of such drones are "bad actors", there may be risks or concerns of that such drones may interfere with desired operations.
What should we do in order to find such drones that cannot be found on UTMs and prevent such accidents or incidents?
C-UAS, the effective way to secure airspace safety, and the acceleration of appropriate use of drones
Radar and sensor technology to monitor unauthorized drones
Radar is one of the most effective ways to detect flying objects within an airspace.
It emits radio waves as it strikes objects, and receives the energy reflected from them, so it can detect targets regardless of whether the target emits radio data or not.
By using it in conjunction with the RF sensor that detects only radio waves emitted from drones, we can accurately identify if the targets detected by radars are drones or not.
These detection data from radars or RF sensors can enable UTM systems to monitor if various drones and aircraft in the airspace are operated appropriately and safely, and it is expected to reduce and mitigate risks of incidents and accidents caused by inappropriately operated drones.
To protect airspace safety and promote appropriate use of drones, it is necessary to have efficient methods of airspace monitoring.
Utilizing detection data from sensors such as radars and RF sensors is the most effective solution for the coming age of "Dronized" society.
Writing/Supervision
Author
Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp.
Defense & Electronic Systems Division
Defense & Security Solutions Marketing Department
Nobuko Arima
Supervisor
Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp.
Defense & Electronic Systems Division
Systems Engineering Department
Mitsuru Kamata
C-UAS Solution
Toshiba offers a comprehensive system that detects, tracks, identifies, and mitigates threats from suspicious drones.
