Drones

Subject – Security and Defence

Context – Drone deliveries a step closer: Public, private providers to manage traffic

Concept –

In what could be the first step towards allowing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified a traffic management framework for drones, under which public and private third-party service providers will manage the traffic movement in the airspace under 1,000 feet.
It requires the creation of a separate, modern, primarily software-based, automated UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system, adding such systems may subsequently be integrated into traditional ATM systems.
The framework allows third-party service providers to give services such as registration, flight planning, dynamic deconfliction and access to supplementary data like weather, terrain and position of manned aircraft.
Also, a set of supplementary service providers will also be permitted under the framework to provide services such as insurance and data analytics.
DigitalSky platform shall continue to be the interface for government stakeholders to provide approvals and permissions to drone operators. All drones (except nano drones operating in the green zone) shall be required to share their real-time location through the network to the Centre.
It said the third-party providers will first be deployed in small geographical areas that could be increased gradually. They will be permitted to charge drone operators a service fee and a small portion of it might have to be shared with the Airports Authority of India.

DigitalSky platform

The Digital Sky Platform is the first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic management (UTM) platform that implements “no permission, no takeoff” (NPNT).
Users will be required to do a one-time registration of their drones, pilots and owners.
For every flight (exempted for the nano category), users will be required to ask for permission to fly on a mobile app and an automated process permits or denies the request instantly.
To prevent unauthorized flights and to ensure public safety, any drone without a digital permit to fly will simply not be able to takeoff.
The UTM operates as a traffic regulator in the drone airspace and coordinates closely with the defense and civilian air traffic controllers (ATCs) to ensure that drones remain on the approved flight paths.

To know about Drone Rules 2021, please refer August 2021 DPN.

To know about Airspace map of India, please refer September 2021 DPN.