U-ELCOME is a three-year SESAR Digital Sky Demonstrator project, involving 51 partners whose overall aim is to support the implementation of services for the safe and secure integration of drones. With demonstrations taking place in three European countries, the project aims to support the interoperability and harmonisation of services within the framework of U-space. The Demonstrator is co-funded by the Connecting Europe Facility.

Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), have the potential to greatly support Europe's shift towards a green and digital economy, aid in post-COVID 19 recovery, and enhance the EU's economic resilience. With a range of applications, from daily commuting to global supply chain management, drones play a vital role in our social and economic life. U-space services and smart traffic management solutions will be key in enabling drone operations and reaching the necessary high level of integration with air traffic management (ATM).

U-ELCOME relies on real U-space systems that are either already in operation or are waiting to be deployed by organisations such as ENAIRE, ENAV, ASLOGIC, ITG, D-Flight and Thales. Led by EUROCONTROL, the aim of the project is to further the scalable market uptake of U1 and U2 U-space services, including e-registration, e-identification and geofencing (U1), and initial services for drone operations management including flight planning, flight approval, and tracking interfacing with conventional air traffic control (U2). U-ELCOME will be performing a series of tests and demonstrations throughout the year in various operational environments across 15 locations in Spain, Italy and France.

Combining digital and physical infrastructure capabilities, U-ELCOME will set up, deploy, and demonstrate the following SESAR solutions up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8:

• U-space U1 — foundation services: these will identify drones and operators, and inform operators about known restricted areas. With the deployment of U1, more drone operations are enabled, especially in areas where the density of manned traffic is low. The U-space foundation services include e-registration, e-identification and geo-awareness.

• U-space U2 — initial services: the main purpose of these is to support the safe management of “beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS) operations and a first level of interface and connection with ATM/ATC and manned aviation. With the deployment of U2, the range of operations at low levels will increase, including some operations in controlled airspace. Drone flights will no longer be considered on a case-by-case basis, and some BVLOS operations will become routine. At least the following initial U-space services will be included: tactical geo-fencing, emergency management, strategic deconfliction, weather information, tracking, flight planning management, monitoring, traffic information, drone aeronautical information management, and a procedural interface with ATC.

Through U-ELCOME demonstrations, the U-space architecture and interoperable standards will be used to enable information exchange and coordination between U-space Service Providers (USSPs), the Common Information Service Provider (CISP) and ATM. This will allow for automated drone traffic management and situational awareness among all U-space stakeholders.

The project, working in close cooperation with EASA and other national and international authorities, will contribute to the consolidation of standardisation and regulatory requirements of the proposed U-space services to further accelerate their deployment along with the interoperability between U-space and ATM.

Spain’s Zaragoza will become the first European city to have a vertiport in an urban environment. The City Council has set aside a 7,500 m² space in the city for 10 years for an urban vertiport to be co-developed by Expodrónica under the umbrella of the U-ELCOME project. One of the first services will be the development of pharmaceutical logistics air routes in Zaragoza with the participation of Novaltia.

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