SESAR Joint Undertaking has partnered with companies and research labs to launch TindAIR, a consortium focused on urban air mobility in Europe. The new consortium will be completing a series of urban air mobility demonstrations.
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Oil and gas giant Neptune Energy has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to measure methane emissions from offshore rigs with drones. Methane is a component of natural gas and a greenhouse gas required to be reduced according to the Paris Agreement.
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The Swedish aerospace and defense company SAAB has announced it will lead the EU’s push to detect and avoid technology, allowing drones to fly alongside crewed aircraft safely. The company was handed a $26 million grant to get started.
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Tethered drone manufacturer Fotokite has announced the European launch of its Sigma drone solution, aiding first responders. The announcement was made with the help of a video, taking the viewer through some of the use cases of the Sigma tethered drone.
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The recent Norwegian landslide prompted Europe’s largest drone operation to date, with around 200 hours of flight time being recorded. Over 420 drone missions took place, rescuing 13 people from collapsed and damaged houses.
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Counter-drone company DroneShield has received its first order from the EU police agreement announced back in May of last year. The product chosen in the order is the well-known DroneGun Tactical and will allow the police force to take down drones if required.
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Drone manufacturer Dronamics has signed up 35 European airports to act as drone hubs after the recent drone law changes. The airports would allow for future drones to take-off and land and drop off packages in a new world of transportation.
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DroneShield has shared that it has successfully deployed its DroneSentinel anti-drone system in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom, known as T-Mobile, at a European airport. The newly installed tech will be used to evaluate the solution for airports around Europe.
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DroneShield has just announced that the European Ministry of Defence has put in an order for its RadarZero anti-drone portable system. The news comes after an eventful week for DroneShield who just won a contract with the US Air Force to deploy multiple systems.
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Like the U.S., Europe is moving to set the ground rules for commercial drone operations. Before drones can fly to make deliveries in crowded urban areas without crashing into each other, a standardized set of regulations is needed. Project Safir aims to help develop a set of ground rules for safe commercial drone operations in Europe.
Right now anybody in the European Union and Switzerland can simply buy a drone and start flying it right away as long as they are in compliance with the law. However, this may soon change as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is currently drafting a law that will require aspiring hobbyist and commercial drone pilots to acquire a license before they are allowed to fly their unmanned aerial aircraft. Since Switzerland typically follows the EU aviation laws, it is expected that the new rule will apply there as well according to the Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt (BAZL), the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The new rules may become in effect in 2019.