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Airport System Protection from Intruding Drones

Project description

Defending airports from rogue drone operations

Drone incursions pose a growing threat for airport operations, and aviation experts are preparing new procedures and technologies to address their impact. The question is how to respond to non-authorised drones flying within airport restricted areas. The EU-funded ASPRID project is pooling knowledge and resources of seven European entities from airport infrastructure and air navigation services operators, public research establishments and SMEs. ASPRID is part of the SESAR research and innovation programme, the technological pillar of Europe’s Single European Sky initiative, coordinating EU research and development activities in air traffic management. The project aims to develop a service-oriented operational concept and system architecture to protect airport operations from unwanted drones and define regulations and procedures to support it.

Objective

ASPRID (Airport System Protection from Intruding Drones), is the response to the request made from SESAR under the Exploratory Research view, in order to cope with the problem of protecting the airport operations from drone intrusion (careless or malicious) under a holistic and operationally oriented approach.

The Project proposes to investigate vulnerability of airport under the different types of threat and possible ways of response as well as to study the interrelations between all those aspects involving different scenarios. Risk analysis shall reveal and categorize the problem, from that, an architecture will be developed, dealing with the different steps and elements that can impact on operations, establishing adequate levels of alert, response and, if needed, neutralization.

In this way, the stepped approach of the project will show these mainstreams:

1. Identification of problem: Threat(s), assets to protect (Airport, ATM, Aircraft), operations,

2. Setting scenarios: Risk and vulnerability assessment, hierarchization, selection, requirements.

3. Definition of an operational oriented architecture:

a) At managerial level: Alert system and levels, Communications, Decisions, Response.
b) At Specific technology elements: Detection, Identification, Tracking, Neutralization.

4. Concept Validation activities: HMI based solutions, sensitivity studies, integration of elements and subsystems in the airport environment.

5. Concept Support activities: Review and assessment of regulations and procedures (normal and emergency).

ASPRID consortium members have experience with Airport and ATM operations as well as with drone performances and capabilities. A part of the consortium is also experienced in the development of SW and SW/HW based solutions to approach a system which is able to cope with the problem of decision making in real time by providing the end users with the correct level of awareness and response to deal with the type and level of threat.

Coordinator

INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TECNICA AEROESPACIAL ESTEBAN TERRADAS
Net EU contribution
€ 200 402,50
Address
CR TORREJON AJALVIR KM 4 2
28850 Torrejon De Ardoz Madrid
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 200 402,50

Participants (6)