6.1 Industrial research priorities

This development priority focuses on completing the industrial research needs that are identified in the TBO roadmap.

IR-1-01: Integrated air–ground trajectory management based on ATS-B2, including the extension for lower airspace and airport surface.

IR-1-02: Development of FF-ICE, including FF-ICE pre-departure enhancement and FF-ICE/R2.

IR-1-03: Advanced network trajectory synchronisation in the execution phase.

IR-1-04: Connected and integrated flight management system (FMS), electronic flight bag (EFB) and flight operations centre (FOC) functionalities for trajectory optimisation.

IR-1-05: Dynamic route availability document (RAD) towards a RAD by exception environment.

Covers the integration of non-safety, commercial links into a hybrid communication infrastructure for ATM safety communication needs, the complete development of the new terrestrial link LDACS, and innovative ways to support intelligent data pre-processing and integration, both on ground and on board the aircraft for air–ground exchange of data (e.g. meteorological data, etc.).

IR-2-01: Complete development of successor(s) to VHF data link mode 2 (VDL-M2): L-band digital aeronautical communications system (LDACS), hyper-connected ATM, and satellite communications (SatCom class A) covering civil–military dual use.

IR-2-02: Aircraft as a sensor, including transmission of humidity information to ground, etc.

IR-3: Future en-route and TMA ground platforms

Targets the transformation of both cruise and climb/descent flight phases into highly automated environments enabled by full air–ground integration. The aim is to implement a service-oriented, cloud-based model that allows dynamic capacity adjustment to meet airspace user demands. Focus areas include enhancing cyber-resilience, leveraging artificial intelligence for flight path optimisation, and promoting civil–military collaboration for seamless airspace management.

IR-3-01: Addresses the next generation ATC platform, fully leveraging aircraft capabilities. This includes supporting a data-sharing service delivery model, resilient integrated CNS/MET as a service, traffic synchronisation, etc., accommodating the specific needs of the military, innovative air mobility (IAM), higher airspace operations (HAO), and U-space, etc.

IR-3-02: AI capabilities enabling the next generation platforms.

IR-3-03: Cyber-resilience and cyber-security capabilities enabling the next generation platforms.

IR-3-04: Separation management for high levels of automation.

IR-3-05: Demand capacity balancing (DCB) and airspace configuration concepts for high levels of automation.

IR-3-06: Future human–machine teaming.

IR-3-07: Ground capabilities for reducing the ATM environmental footprint. This includes climate-optimised trajectories covering non-CO₂ effects (e.g. contrails), environmentally optimised climb and descent operations, advanced required navigation performance green approaches, dynamic allocation of arrival and departure routes considering noise and local air quality, green ATC capacity concept, flexible eco-friendly clearances, wake energy retrieval (WER), integration of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and zero emissions aircraft, environmental performance dashboards, etc.

IR-3-08: Geometric altimetry.

IR-3-09: CNS capabilities to increase ATM system robustness (e.g. satellite-based multilateration (MLAT), GBAS dual frequency/multi constellation leveraging Galileo and providing robust protection against jamming and spoofing).

IR-4: Future airport platform

Targets the evolution of airside operations, including aircraft turnaround, taxi, and take-off and landing clearances, into a highly automated environment. The aim is to develop a future platform incorporating advanced technologies and a service-oriented, cloud-based model. This model allows dynamic capacity adjustment to meet the demands of all airspace users while improving safety and environmental sustainability. Key areas of focus include enhancing cyber-resilience, leveraging artificial intelligence and fostering civil–military collaboration for airport operations management.

IR-4-01: Addresses the next generation airport platform fully leveraging aircraft capabilities. This includes supporting the data-sharing service delivery model, interconnected with other airports and their third parties (e.g. ground handlers), ANSPs, NM, CNS/MET as a service, etc., facilitating the accommodation of IAM, the interface with U-space as well as specific needs from the military.

IR-4-02: AI capabilities enabling the next generation of airport platforms.

IR-4-03: Cyber–resilience and cyber-security capabilities enabling the next generation of airport platforms.

IR-4-04: Airport solutions for reducing environmental impact of operations. This includes green-taxiing related concepts, environmental performance dashboards, etc.

IR-4-05: Future human–machine teaming.

IR-4-06: Optimisation of runway throughput.

IR-4-07: Smart airports, airports as multimodal nodes and the passenger experience.

IR-5: Autonomy and digital assistants for the flight deck

Focuses on increasing airborne automation and autonomy and the collaboration between air and ground for the integration of all airspace users. Development of onboard capabilities and advanced digital technologies (e.g. digital assistance to the flight crew) to support the flight crew during complex scenarios, reducing workload while improving safety and efficiency. The transition to single pilot operations (SiPO) is being explored, balancing societal expectations for human cockpit presence with increased automation for automatic flight phases.

IR-5-01: Single pilot operations (SiPO). This includes new sensors and aircraft architectures for the evolution towards SiPO/highly automated operations.

IR-5-02: Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks. This includes improved flight-deck HMI and procedures for CPDLC, voice-less technology, etc.

IR-5-03: Highly automated ATM for all airspace users. This includes performance-based CNS enablers (assured navigation for robust ATM/CNS environment for all phases of flight, alternative positioning, navigation and timing (A-PNT) providing enhanced robustness against jamming, spoofing leveraging Galileo, electronic conspicuity, sense and avoid, enhanced distance measuring equipment (eDME), etc.) to facilitate the integration of advanced airborne automation and future ATC platforms, as well as accommodating IAM and interfacing with U-space.

IR-5-04: Airborne capabilities for reducing ATM’s environmental footprint. This includes wake energy retrieval (WER), energy-based operations, and environment driven trajectory optimisation, etc.

IR-6: U3 U-space advanced services, IAM and vertiports

Focuses on enabling IAM operations with VTOL-capable aircraft (VCA) and UAS in complex environments and congested areas, including vertiport integration as an inherent component of an efficient and sustainable multimodal transportation system. This will be supported by the development of U3 U-space advanced services, which build on U1 and U2 U-space services under implementation (following Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664), IAM integration into all types of airspace and vertiports under both instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and visual meteorological conditions (VMC), etc.

IR-6-01: U3 U-space advanced services addressing aspects such as common altitude reference, collaborative interface with ATC, tactical conflict detection and resolution, fairness in strategic deconfliction, etc.

IR-6-02: CNS capabilities for U-space, which includes detect and avoid and collision avoidance for UAS, and the use of mobile networks by U-space (including performance-based communication and surveillance services using a mobile network infrastructure).

IR-6-03: Extending the U-space ecosystem. This includes the use of U-space services by commercial aircraft, general aviation, crewed VCA, etc., and the use of U-space services outside U-space airspace.

IR-6-04: Enabling IAM/VCA (crewed and uncrewed) operations, including in complex environments, congested areas and vertiports. This includes IAM operational procedures enabling access to all types of airspace and vertiports (both VMC and IMC) and IAM automation including simplified vehicle operations, automatic take-off and landing (TOL), resilient navigation, energy management, etc.