U-space and Digital Aviation

U-space is a geographical zone for drones where flight assistance services will be provided. These services have two objectives:

1. Mitigate the risk of collision between crewed aircraft and UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems), along with the associated risks in the air and on the ground.
2. Enable the safe conduct of dense and complex drone operations, such as Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS).

Not all geozones will be U-space, and therefore, its services will not be distributed everywhere. Priority will be given to areas with a high volume of anticipated operations, such as urban areas.

The complete U-space will enable all types of operations, from the simplest to the most complex, offering four types of services to the user:

• U1 – Foundation: Basic services including drone registration (e-registration), drone identification on the map through ID (e-identification), and the creation of a virtual perimeter (geofencing);
• U2 – Initial: Services for flight operations management, including flight planning, flight approval, drone movement tracking, and interaction with air traffic control (ATC);
• U3 – Advanced: Advanced services supporting more complex operations in densely populated areas, such as conflict detection and resolution, and automation features for “detect and avoid”;
• U4 – Full: Comprehensive services that encompass all the previous services, offering high levels of automation, connectivity, and digitization for both drones and the U-space system.