The world’s leading UTM technology provider is set to expand its cutting-edge EC sensor network across the majority of the UK by year-end, paving the way for widespread BVLOS drone operations in 2025.
Developed by Altitude Angel to facilitate the seamless integration of autonomous drones into UK skies, this cutting-edge technology optimises reception at low altitudes and latency, ensuring reliable connectivity across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The cutting-edge community boasts unparalleled safeguards for low-altitude ADS-B transmissions on both 1090MHz and 978MHz frequencies, in addition to FLARM and Mode-S signals, while uniquely ensuring real-time monitoring of aviation broadcast alerts, including drone RemoteID tracking.
As a key player in the SKYWAY ‘drone superhighway’ ecosystem, Richard Parker, CEO and founder of Altitude Angel, emphasized the urgency to expand the EC sensor community nationwide for comprehensive protection: “With the CAA’s recent launch of ‘Airspace Modernisation Technique, Half 3: Deployment Plan’, we’re now poised to deliver the modern airspace the UK has been crying out for.” The Aviation Minister, Mike Kane, recently remarked that “Our UK airspace is stuck in an analogue era, eerily reminiscent of when Yuri Gagarin first ventured into the cosmos.” I’m glad to see you’re considering making a change! The revised sentence could read:
To implement the ‘Transponder Obligatory Zones’ as envisioned by the CAA, it is crucial to establish a robust, nationwide Electronic Conformance (EC) network built on recognized and controlled tools. Altitude Angel’s sensor community provides a nationwide solution that is not only cost-effective but also exceptionally resilient and optimised to ensure correct acquisition of transponders within a TMZ, thereby guaranteeing seamless operations.
Altitude Angel will enhance its capabilities by integrating Arrow’s advanced sensors with existing EC community infrastructure, enabling automated beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for all aircraft types by 2025. Any airborne aircraft, regardless of whether it’s currently operating or not, and even if it’s not transmitting a signal, can still be tracked by radar.
To successfully scale Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations and integrate automated flights, it is crucial that we develop higher-capability systems capable of detecting non-emergency craft (non-EC planes). While TMZs function effectively on paper, a pressing question remains: what happens when an unresponsive aircraft flies directly through a TMZ? To address this concern, we’re introducing the second phase of our sensor rollout, incorporating our comprehensive Arrow sensor suite to detect non-EC planes. By integrating the EC and non-EC footage, we craft a comprehensive, real-time representation of the aircraft’s current position within a specific volume of airspace.
“We will initiate deployment of our Arrow platform on an industrial foundation in the coming year, focusing on areas where drone operators and organizations can fully leverage the benefits of drone technology.”
The imperative to establish a community of sensors arises from the stark reality that current industrial aggregators are either too sluggish or poorly optimized for low-altitude operations, often relying on hobbyist-grade tools managed by amateur aviation enthusiasts who lack robust infrastructure and strategic positioning. Clever deployment of EC tools relies heavily on deliberate planning, taking into account the strategic positioning of antennae, ensuring uninterruptible power supply, and establishing dependable communication channels – a crucial yet often overlooked aspect in many situations? The Altitude Angel community is designed to support hyper-scale operations, relying exclusively on professional-grade aviation receivers, supplemented by battery and communication backup systems, and a dedicated, custom-built infrastructure for ultra-low latency connectivity.
Parker notes, “After exhausting efforts to reduce costs while increasing potential, our company has made significant investments in building repeatable hardware deployments, which still lag behind those of high-availability physical sensor deployments.” When linked to the Altitude Angel cloud, the benefits of a distributed array become starkly apparent. We’ll now transmit aviation-grade EC and non-EC sensing data anywhere on the planet, providing continuous flows of accurate and meticulously filtered insights.
Knowledge from the sensor community is tailored for seamless integration with emerging airspace users, such as drones and eVTOLs, while also offering valuable insights to traditional aviation stakeholders at airports or air navigation service providers. The community’s versatility stems from its compatibility with a range of conventional formats, including ASTERIX, as well as more modern codecs catering to cutting-edge technology stacks.
To further strengthen airspace security across the drone and aviation sectors, Altitude Angel is pioneering a novel initiative by releasing information from the EC-sensor community freely to national research organizations and individuals on a limited basis for non-commercial, private purposes only.
- The UK-wide community provides comprehensive coverage across mainland Britain, excluding Northern Ireland, to safeguard distant and rural areas from potential threats. It achieves this by monitoring ADS-B transmissions on both 1090MHz and 978MHz frequencies, FLARM signals, Mode-S data, and – uniquely in the UK – nationwide reception of RemoteID signals for drone tracking purposes.
- Knowledge gleaned from the brand new community is combined with disparate data from Altitude Angel’s surveillance network to ensure accuracy, thereby providing enhanced situational awareness.
The accuracy of knowledge can be verified against flight plans, particularly when considering the thousands of drone flight plans that pass through Altitude Angel’s global UTM platform every month.
- With precision-engineered tools licensed for use, highly refined antennae strategically deployed, and redundant energy and communication systems integrated into each receiver, the network effectively satisfies the most demanding real-time navigation and surveillance standards.
If you’re interested in exploring the possibility of integrating an EC Station into your website or would like to learn more about our surveillance expertise, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
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