Managing airspace is a complicated system that comprises of sophisticated technologies, software, and operators who have the required skills to run operations using the technologies. The FAA has implemented no drone zone enforcement in which drones are restricted in their areas of flight. The restrictions apply in different areas such as near airports, military bases, and national landmarks, among others. In June 2019, AirMap and Raytheon entered into a partnership to integrate AirMap’s UAS monitoring resources into a prototype of Raytheon’s workstation involved in controlling air traffic (Raytheon Co., 2019). The strategic agreement brings together expertise from the two companies.
Raytheon’s Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System is implemented by controllers in air traffic throughout the United States to offer safe and effective spacing of aircraft ( Raytheon Co., 2019 ). Also, it is used to provide sequence guidance to approximately 40,000 aircrafts in airports that belong to civilians and the military. AirMap, on the other hand, is a global leader in airspace intelligence related to drones operations. The firm has more than 250, 000 users of its services. After integration into Raytheon’s workstation, Multi-platform ATC Re-hosting Solution (MARS), air traffic controllers are now able to remotely identify drones on a real-time basis and received authorization hence improving their integration safety ( Raytheon Co., 2019 ). MARS air traffic workstation incorporates commercial technologies into an integrated touchscreen platform. The display offers access to different automation applications in a single workstation (Raytheon Co., 2019). This does not change the re-hosted applications.
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The partnership is meant to enable safe and efficient operations of UAS in low altitude airspace in the United States that lie between 0-400 feet. The UAS, traffic control platform, improves the awareness of the individuals involved in air traffic control to enable them to identify and likely conflict between UAS and human-crewed aircraft around airports ( Raytheon Co., 2019 ). This will ensure that the general safety of the airspace is improved. When UAS are flying in airspace is controlled, they share skies with other different kinds of aircraft. As a result, air traffic controllers must have real-time alerts of any unusual activities by drones. The partnership is a significant step towards integrating UAS into the airspace system (Raytheon Co., 2019) .
In their virtual show, AirMap technologies send alerts to users of MARS in case there is a drone that shows a flight behavior that is not usual and lacks conformity near major airports ( Raytheon Co., 2019 ). According to AirMap’s chairman, Ben Marcus, air traffic controllers, UAS users, and pilots flying manned aircraft require situational knowledge ( Raytheon Co., 2019 ). The integration partnership intends to improve how controllers can be equipped with the required information without increasing their workload or adding more burden. The two companies entered into the strategic agreement to safely integrate UAS into the airspace industry, open opportunities for economic and social gains of enhanced commercial UAS operations. Drones are used for different commercial purposes, such as delivering packages or products, volcanoes monitoring, and agriculture, among other business-related activities. Integration into the nation's aircraft system will ensure that commercial activities intensify hence produce more benefits.
In conclusion, the partnership between AirMap and Raytheon is expected to impact the UAS industry positively. Controlling and monitoring drones in the air space where other types of aircraft fly will ensure improved safety and security in the aviation industry. This will also produce more benefits in the UAS industry as a result of improved and expanded operations caused by the integration. According to the partners, the step is a major advancement in the UAS industry.
References
Raytheon Co. (2019, October 21). Raytheon, AirMap unveil new UAS traffic workstation
@UASMagazine.. Retrieved January 17, 2020, from http://www.uasmagazine.com/articles/2079/raytheon-airmap-unveil-new-uas-traffic-workstation
