EALU-AER is a technology infrastructure integration and demonstration project. EALU-AER aims to establish Ireland’s first Digital Sky Demonstrator, located at Future Mobility Campus Ireland’s recently established vertiport site, in Shannon, Ireland. EALU-AER aims to:

• Prove feasibility, reliability and operational efficiency of transport services provided by various eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff/landing) aircraft for a variety of use cases and applications.
• Foster and accelerate the development of autonomous software solutions for the control, monitoring, data gathering/ orchestration and overall interaction and safety of eVTOL aircraft.
• Develop, deploy, and continually test/optimize the use of UAM (urban air mobility), rural/remote air transport/freight delivery, and UTM (unmanned air traffic management) systems in support of eVTOL services.
• Develop, deploy, and refine operational systems in general eVTOL-based services across multiple use cases and political jurisdictions.
• Define possible Separation Standards Aircraft and UAVs in Controlled Airspace (CAS) through partnership with IAA ANSP (future Air Nav Ireland).

This project will see the integration of a UTM technology platform as part of the FMCI operations site, which will leverage integrated UTM technology solution that encompasses a UAS platform (WebUAS), a backhaul network (AGN), Command and Control (C2) and Surveillance equipment, and advanced three-dimensional phased array radar (Skyler). This technology solution will be integrated as part of FMCI’s vertiport and associated facilitiesto demonstrate the proposed U-Space architecture operations and enable U1/U2 services and integration with ATM/ATC. To demonstrate a range of UAM operations, across the range of U-space services projected through the SESAR U-space CONOPS (Concept of Operations), the project will execute a number of use-cases across the period of the programme that capture the operational requirements, vehicle dynamics, and technology demonstrations associated with the projected near-term UAM services market, such as local inspection, light-freight, long distance logistics, air-taxi operations, etc.

An outline of these use- cases is listed below and are intended to operate in a compounding fashion to build upon prior phases and prior activities carried out in previous SESAR and external programs. Outputs of these operations are intended to inform and validate concept of operations, demonstrate, and validate the U- space architecture and pave a way for enhanced automation and U3, U4 services such as detect and avoid and dynamic capacity management. EALU-AER is intended to be an infrastructure platform that can be leveraged to support further developments through future SESAR programmes and work streams. The UTM technology solution being implemented in this project is intended to be modular and scalable and aligned with the proposed U-space architecture. EALU-AER will feature an integration effort that will see advanced UTM, C2, and surveillance technologies from a leading aerospace systems integrator, being brought together as part of a consortium that will leverage Ireland’s first vertiport (developed as part of a wider transport automation research and demonstration campus), the (soon to be established) Irish ANSP (Air Nav Ireland), the operator of an international airport, a leading research consultant for safety, security and human performance, the Irish airspace regulator and Manna Drone representing the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and operator.

The EALU-AER consortium consists of active participants in international efforts to develop technologies and solutions to enable the AAM/UAM market.