Status: 11/18/2022 5:40 p.m
New rules for drones are intended to make commercial flights possible over longer distances – in special zones of the airspace. But some questions are still unanswered.
By Aylin Dülger, tagesschau.de
When most people think of drones, they probably think of small, remote-controlled flying objects that are used for recreational purposes. In the future, remote-controlled aircraft could take on many tasks: for example, monitoring company facilities, transporting urgent tissue samples for clinics, or providing services for craftsmen. All of this could become routine in German cities in the coming years.
Flights only after registration – and with “number plate”
An EU regulation could create the conditions for this from January 26, 2023 – with the possibility of so-called “U-Space” areas, i.e. a kind of traffic system for drones in cities. “U-Spaces” are urban airspaces close to the ground, in which not only the flights of commercial drones, but also of helicopters and airplanes are coordinated. They are separate from the rest of the airspace. The drones are allowed a maximum flight altitude of 300 meters.
No drone flight may take place in a “U-Space” without prior approval. A service provider, the so-called Service Provider (USSP), authorizes the flights and instructs the drone pilot where he is allowed to fly. According to the Federal Association of the Security Industry (BDSW), drones weighing more than 250 grams must be registered with the Federal Aviation Authority. From 2024, the flying object must also have a so-called remote ID for identification. This is comparable to the number plate of a car. According to the EU regulation, the member states themselves decide whether and where a “U-Space” is set up.
Even out of sight
In normal airspace, flight movements are monitored by radar. The flight range of small drones, on the other hand, has so far been as good as uncontrolled. There is no data exchange there that allows a precise overview of all flight movements. The remote-controlled aircraft can therefore only fly within sight of the pilot on the ground. The “U-Spaces” should make a much wider use possible – without a pilot having to keep an eye on the drone.
The idea for this came from the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). “There is a clear radio connection between the control computer and the drone,” explains a spokesman for the Civil Drones Industry Association (BVZD). tagesschau.de. This also enables flights beyond the line of sight. If the radio transmission to the drone breaks down for technical or atmospheric reasons, it returns to the last connection with the drone pilot. So far, this has only been possible with a complex process.
Large amounts of data as a problem
However, there are still questions that need to be clarified: Among other things, where the new airspace zones are to be set up and how acceptance among the population can be achieved. The Association for Unmanned Aviation (UAV DACH) therefore expects the first “U-Spaces” in Germany to be set up at the end of 2023 at the earliest, probably more likely from 2024.
A cause for concern is the handling of large amounts of data for the execution of flights in “U-Space”, according to the association. Questions of data and information security have not yet been sufficiently clarified.
“Security risks exist in particular through conflicts with other road users, such as airplanes or helicopters,” says Andreas Del Re, head of the Institute for Unmanned Systems at the Northern Business School Hamburg. Possible scenarios include the obstruction of rescue helicopter operations or a crash on people on the ground. Above all, however, the dangers of espionage, violations of privacy, terrorist attacks or smuggling are of concern.
High fees would be a hurdle
Tests of possible commercial drone flights were carried out in the port of Hamburg last year – in a so-called real laboratory. According to the BVZD, there was not much air traffic. “That’s where the base was first tried out.” Another real laboratory is being worked on in Ingolstadt.
According to the association for unmanned aviation, “reliable framework conditions” are necessary for drones to become a branch of industry. Ultimately, the fees for using a “U-Space” should not be so high that business models such as the transport of medicines or blood supplies cannot be carried out profitably.