NATS teams up with Altitude Angel on ‘detect and avoid’ airspace tech

A new ‘detect and avoid’ (DAA) platform which identifies and tracks drones and other aircraft has been unveiled in a bid to improve airspace security.

First shown off at last month’s Farnborough International Airshow, the ground-based Arrow towers represent a collaboration between NATS Services – the commercial arm of Hampshire-based air traffic services provider NATS – and airspace tech firm Altitude Angel from Reading.

Lower-level traffic can be difficult to track using traditional radar systems, so the platform has been developed to detect traffic which typically ‘flies under the radar’.

Visitors to the airshow were given real-time access to data gathered by the Arrow towers as they monitored the busy airspace.

Richard Ellis, head of new airspace users at NATS, said: “A pop-up service like this one is a great example of how safety can be achieved in very complex environments where non-cooperative drone activity can have a real impact on an airshow.

“It’s a privilege to be able to demonstrate the capability of the Arrow technology with the authorities at a premier event.”

Richard Parker, CEO of Altitude Angel, added: “Working alongside Farnborough International and NATS Services over the course of the airshow is great validation of the performance – and range – of the sensor and software technologies we’ve developed.

“The airshow is a very busy airspace environment, attended by crowds of hundreds of thousands.

“Our Arrow towers, deployed in just a matter of hours, demonstrated an ability to provide vital intelligence to the authorities, a service that can help to safeguard very complex events.”

Data was collected from a deployment of road-towable mast-based sensors to create a view of lower-level airspace within Farnborough Airport’s flight restricted zone (FRZ) and beyond.

The infrastructure was completely self-sufficient, including generation of its own solar power, and worked on a private communications network, only requiring minimal space from the airshow organisers.

It ultimately provided real-time visibility of non-electronically conspicuous aircraft and drones – those which don’t carry traditional transponders – within a single airspace picture.

Alex Culley, NATS general manager at Farnborough Airport, said: “Our focus during the airshow was to ensure a safe event for visitors and participants and minimal disruption to our neighbouring airspace users.

“We needed a robust and comprehensive view of all traffic moving in and out of the airshow, and new technology solutions can help enhance safety, security and operational efficiency within the airspace.”