The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to begin field-testing new air traffic management technologies and services designed to support the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System.
FAA said Friday it plans to commence the UAS Traffic Management field test in spring 2022 with the goal of helping the government refine UTM’s cybersecurity, standards and data exchange capabilities.
UTM consists of services that support but are detached from the air traffic management services used for traditional, manned aircraft.
Tests will simulate realistic scenarios and assess how the newest traffic management technologies can support actual drone traffic management in various environments.
FAA will use the testing’s results to inform policymaking and with the goal of normalizing drone flights beyond the operator’s visual line of sight.
