A series of RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft system) flight tests were held at Grottaglie Airport in Italy at the end of 2015 as part of INSuRE, a project co-financed by the SESAR JU. The aim of the project is to support the development of technological capabilities and regulations for the simultaneous operation of both manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace.

The test session was conducted by IDS (Ingegneria Dei Sistemi) with their project partners SD (Sistemi Dinamici) and ANS CR (Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic), and involved a series of flights by a rotorcraft RPAS (SD-150 Hero) with a ground-based mobile command station developed by SD. The tests demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to conduct operational missions and have also enabled the definition and testing of one of the first recognized procedures for the management of these systems in regulated areas.

All the performed activities were successfully completed and the results obtained will enable the quantitative evaluation of the INSuRE project demonstration objectives.

This series of tests have effectively kicked off experimental RPAS activities at Grottaglie Airport in accordance with the directives defined by the EU and ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority) for the operational integration of unmanned systems into a single sky. The operational procedures put in place for the INSuRE RPAS activities were defined and agreed amongst all stakeholders: the project partners, Aeroporti di Puglia, ENAV (the Italian ANSP) and ENAC.