EU to hold major conference to push forward drones
jd in .hu
EU to hold major conference to push forward drones
No less than three European Commission vice-presidents are due to attend the first major European conference under an initiative to push forward the Union’s involvement in the growing civilian and military markets for unmanned aircraft. The 1 July conference aims to take forward joint efforts by the Commission and the European Defence Agency (EDA) to give Europe a greater foothold in a market currently dominated by the United States and Israel. EU foreign and security policy chief Catherine Ashton is scheduled to speak at the conference along with her fellow Commission Vice-Presidents Siim Kallas, responsible for transport policy, and Antonio Tajani, the commissioner for industry and entrepreneurship.
The event, to be held in Brussels, will also bring together experts from the aerospace and defence industry and other interested parties, from fire and police services to forestry and meteorological institutes as well as the military.
Pilotless planes, commonly known as drones or UASs (unmanned aerial systems) are increasingly operated in a wide variety of combat roles by NATO forces, notably in Afghanistan, where they are used for surveillance, reconnaissance and ground attack operations. Their potential is enormous for both military and civilian uses, but European industry has lagged behind the American and their development outside combat theatres has been restricted by limitations on their use in normal airspace due to safety concerns.
The EDA has been working for over two years on a number of initiatives to overcome technical and regulatory hurdles to the integration of drones into European airspace, notably through the MIDCAS project to develop a ‘sense and avoid’ technology that would allow pilotless planes to share airspace with passenger aircraft. However, European experts are concerned that technological progress on facilitating the entry of unmanned craft into general airspace is outpacing preparations for a regulatory framework for the UAVs.
Commission officials hope the 1 July conference can widen the debate and increase awareness among the public and stakeholders of the uses of drones in the civilian field in areas such as border control, environmental monitoring or traffic management.
EU experts are looking at unmanned aircraft as a fine example of where dual-use, civilian-military research can be coordinated between the EDA and the European Commission research programmes taking advantage of opportunities offered under the Lisbon Treaty.
Among the organisations due to send senior officials to speak at the conference are the European AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association (ASD); the EU border control agency Frontex; the German Federal Police; and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Several European companies have developed drones and a number of high-tech projects are ongoing, such as the EADS Barracuda, a JV between Germany and Spain; and the stealth technology nEUROn project led by Dassault.
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