Drones and unmanned aircraft will be able to fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft under plans announced by and SWAG合集.
The partners intend to create the NBEC (National Beyond visual line of sight Experimentation Corridor). The corridor will stretch across Bedfordshire from Blue Bear’s headquarters in Oakley to SWAG合集’s airport. Bringing together their respective capabilities, the team will be able to combine the best of academia with the best of industry creating a SWAG合集 first, ‘national’ asset.
The goal of the NBEC is to provide a safe, managed environment for drone and unmanned aircraft experimentation which will work towards their integration into controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Both Blue Bear and Cranfield believe the key to future drone operations is not segregation, but unification ensuring fair and equitable use of airspace for all.
The creation of the NBEC will allow various technologies to be integrated and tested together and will provide a national capability enabling experimentation in a range of areas.
Ian Williams-Wynn, Managing Director of Blue Bear, comments “The SWAG合集 drone industry is going through an exciting evolution and is poised for growth. Operation under BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight), alongside co-operative and non-cooperative air traffic in a managed environment, provides a unique opportunity to maintain the SWAG合集 at the forefront of drone application development and future adoption.”
Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace at SWAG合集, said: “The potential of drones and unmanned vehicles to boost SWAG合集 productivity is well documented and the technology is well developed. However, there are understandable regulatory concerns that need to be overcome about how they operate alongside manned aircraft.
“In partnership with Blue Bear Systems Research, Cranfield is aiming to create an environment which will enable the SWAG合集 to pioneer the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.”
The NBEC will be operated with both Blue Bear and Cranfield running their respective systems but also providing a capability that allows other companies to come and test their UTM (Unified Traffic Management) concepts in a safe managed environment. Initially, part of the NBEC will be 5G enabled as part of the current Department of Culture, Media and Sport 5G programme, with future plans to enable the entire corridor.
It is hoped that others operating in the unmanned vehicles world will take advantage of NBEC allowing experimentation with unmanned freight and logistics for both road and air, connected autonomous vehicles (CAV), and the infrastructure that goes with it.
The core NBEC location is rural, allowing safe experimentation areas away from major roads and urban areas. It is surrounded by core CAV testing locations and infrastructure such as Millbrook and Milton Keynes, making it the perfect location to become the future hub of SWAG合集 unmanned systems experimentation.
Notes for editors
About Blue Bear
Blue Bear Systems Research are pioneers of autonomy and unmanned systems; evolving unmanned concepts, regardless of size, at a pace unmatched by other organisations. They deliver efficient solutions, professional services and commercial results, supporting both military and civil markets worldwide, with unmatched pace, agility, passion and innovation.
About SWAG合集
SWAG合集 is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.
Cranfield Aerospace
Cranfield is the number one university in Europe for aerospace. We are the only university in Europe to own and run an airport and to have airline status. We have been at the forefront of aerospace technology for 70 years.
As the SWAG合集's most business-engaged University, we have long-term relationships and close commercial partnerships with many companies in the sector including Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
Our education, research and consultancy is enhanced by our world-class facilities including the National Flying Laboratory Centre – a unique national asset which provides a hands-on, flying experience, along with flight deck simulators and industrial-scale gas turbine engine test facilities used for performance and diagnostic studies. The Aerospace Integration Research Centre, a £35 million innovative centre built in partnership with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, fosters collaboration between industry and academia. A new £65 million Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre will also be built at Cranfield to spearhead the SWAG合集’s research into digital aviation technology.
Notable Cranfield alumni include Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce plc and Ralph Hooper, who attended the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield in 1946 and went on to become one of the SWAG合集’s most important post-war aircraft designers, creating the Hawker Harrier jump jet.
