Thales to lead EU project on drone geofencing

Paving the way for future drone traffic increase, SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) is supporting the European Commission U-space initiative by researching and developing new services for safe, efficient and secure access to airspace of a large number of drones. The Geosafe project is part of the founding services for the development of drones operation. Engaged in the creation of solutions that will make tomorrow’s mobility possible, Thales will manage the project, supported by the competences of Aeromapper, Atechsys, Airmarine and SPH Engineering.

By securing the flight pattern of drones to avoid determined zones, geofencing solutions are key safety enablers. They are notably mandatory to ensure that drones do not fly in protected perimeters around critical infrastructures, such as power plants or airports.The objectives of Geosafe are to establish state-of-the-art geofencing solutions regarding U-space regulation and to propose improvements and recommendations for future geofencing system definition.

Geosafe will be based on a one-year long flight-test campaign, assessing a number of commercially-available geofencing solutions in order to propose improved  geofencing system for tomorrow and technological improvements for automated drones.

Thales, world class leader in military drones, commercial avionics and air traffic management, designs systems ensuring the highest security and safety levels for future air mobility. As the leader of the project, the group will organize all tests and will provide recommendations for the European geofencing system.“Thales is playing a leading role in shaping the autonomous world,” said Christian Bardot, Thales VP in charge of Helicopter and UAV Avionics Business. “Together with SESAR JU and the Geosafe partners, we will strengthen the foundations of drones safe and secure operations unleashing the potential of this tremendous market.”

The 280 flight tests will be conducted in France, Germany and Latvia, along the year. These tests are intended to test all possible situations that an automated drone will face in urban and rural areas.