On December 13 Spain and France carried out an experimental flight of a French military drone piloted by remote control.
The drone, an MQ-9 REAPER, took off with callsign FAF7802, at 12:30 local time from the military Air Base in Cognac, north of Bordeaux, and, under the control of French air controllers from the DSNA Control Center in Bordeaux , it crossed the Pyrenees transferring its control to the ENAIRE Control Center in Madrid towards Navarra, flying over the Bárdenas Reales area and, later, Zaragoza.
From Madrid, civil and military air controllers controlled the flight and gave regulatory separations of the drone from the rest of the air traffic that flew over in its proximity. Airspace areas are usually reserved for remotely piloted aircraft to fly exclusively in these areas segregated from the rest of the aircraft. This time it has not been like that and the drone has flown between planes as one more receiving the indications by radio.
The Reaper drone continued its flight, ascending to flight level 230, that is, about 7 km altitude, to the airspace under the responsibility of the ENAIRE Control Center in Barcelona, which took control of the drone and civil controllers and ECAO Barcelona soldiers continued the follow-up and separation maneuver. He was then transferred to the DSNA Control Center in Marseille which guided him back to the airfield of origin, via the Gulf of Lion.
Finally, the flight was transferred back to Bordeaux to the Cognac Air Base, where it landed at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The flight had been prepared in an exhaustive and detailed way for months before, taking into account any unexpected situation that could arise en route, whether due to weather or other causes. It followed its flight plan and successfully passed all the safety and feasibility studies carried out by the European Defense Agency.
This drone received air control service just like an airplane, which allowed it to be separated from other aircraft, guaranteeing the coexistence and integration of this type of aircraft with conventional air traffic. The maximum altitude reached in Spanish airspace was 7 km, that is, a flight level 230.
This exercise is an example of the commitment of the air navigation providers, ENAIRE and DSNA, as well as the rest of the authorities in Spain and France, to promote the drone sector and the development of European regulations adapted to the needs of future users of certified civil and military RPAS.
Project background
Since January 2017, French civil and military authorities have been conducting pilot studies to explore the operational framework and regulatory changes required for further integration of Medium Altitude and Long Duration (MALE) RPAS in air traffic. civil.
The next step in this mission was to carry out a cross-border flight and validate the safety study prepared by the European Defense Agency. For this, the French military directorate of Air Traffic Management (ATM), which supervises these experiments, approached the Spanish civil and military authorities to cooperate in this fundamental phase.
After months of intense preparation with all the stakeholders involved, ENAIRE and DSNA, respectively the air navigation service providers of Spain and France, the Spanish Air Force and the French Air and Space Force, the flight was carried out successfully. yesterday, Monday, December 13, 2021.
About ENAIRE
ENAIRE is the national manager of air navigation in Spain.
As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, it provides en-route control service of all flights and overflights through five control centers in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as the approaches to all the country’s airports.
In addition, 45 air control towers receive ENAIRE’s communication, navigation and surveillance services and 21 airports have their aerodrome control services, including the busiest in the country.
ENAIRE is the fourth European air traffic manager and, in a firm commitment to the Single Sky, is part of international alliances such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, Alianza A6, iTEC, CANSO and OACI.
ENAIRE is the official provider of aeronautical information in Spain.
Source: Press Release
Translation by Google