UAS in the terminal area: Challenges and opportunities

This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the introduction of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in terminal areas and other airspace regions characterized by high air traffic densities and high levels of air traffic services (ATS). The specificities in terms of jurisdiction and prevalent traffic characteristics are analyzed and discussed to support the identification of operational and equipage requirements for a safe integration of UAS. In particular, as the separation monitoring and deconfliction responsibilities are primarily on the air traffic management (ATM) side, it is clear that communication, navigation, surveillance, ATM, and avionics (CNS+A) equipment play an essential role in this scenario. This is furthermore supported in relation to the very frequent occurrence of potential conflicts, as the deconfliction by ATM relies on accurate and reliable CNS systems. Nevertheless, the higher jurisdiction of ATM operators may also offer an opportunity to UAS developers, as it is shown that less expert processing functions will be required to integrate ATM-assisted sense-and-avoid (SAA) capabilities onboard the UAS.