This project aims to create and demonstrate digital infrastructure and operational procedures that will allow safe and efficient shared airspace. Recent BVLOS projects have focused on operating in Temporary Danger Areas (TDAs) which are both temporary, closed off to other airspace users, so are not scalable. Operations in temporary airspace do not allow operators to build a business case around the technology, and instead they have focused on technology demonstrations and trials, which fail to deliver the expected results. To transition to persistent and routine operations, beyond visual light of sight (BVLOS) drones need to be fully integrated with other airspace users within "shared airspace" rather than within "segregated airspace". To achieve this, there are six key challenges which need to be overcome: * Development of airspace which is inclusive to all airspace users * Effective governance to manage aviation stakeholders * Development of scalable detect and avoid solutions * Integration and development of a UTM minimum viable product * Integration of drones within an airport environment * Development of airworthiness and software assurance requirements for the enabling technologies BLUEPRINT aims to solve all of these problems, creating an approach for routine and persistent BVLOS drone operations within the UK via a series of capability blueprints as follows: * Airspace - Shared Airspace Zone via mandated Electronic Conspicuity and use of UTM Apps * Governance - An industry body which incorporates senior leaders across the whole aviation sector, to help come to a consensus on rules for shared airspace * Detect & Avoid - Distributed surveillance and tracking service integrated with Command Units * UTM - Building on the CPC Open Access Framework and ASTM standards of interoperability * Aerodrome - Development of project Atomicus (FF2 winner) for airport integration * Regulatory - Assurance standards for manufacturers, software providers and drone operators This makes Blueprint applicable to many use cases and opportunities, especially within the specific category for both multi-rotor, single rotor and fixed wing drones where the growth is predicted to explode in size and scale up to approximately 500kg within controlled and uncontrolled airspace for all airspace users who want to share the air. The aim of the BLUEPRINT is to provide regulators, technology providers and operators with a blueprint for UK wide rollout of BVLOS drone operations which can be commercialised at scale. The blueprint will allow stakeholders to design, plan and build routine and persistent BVLOS drone capabilities which can be exported on a European level.

This project aims to create and demonstrate digital infrastructure and operational procedures that will allow safe and efficient shared airspace. Recent BVLOS projects have focused on operating in Temporary Danger Areas (TDAs) which are both temporary, closed off to other airspace users, so are not scalable. Operations in temporary airspace do not allow operators to build a business case around the technology, and instead they have focused on technology demonstrations and trials, which fail to deliver the expected results. To transition to persistent and routine operations, beyond visual light of sight (BVLOS) drones need to be fully integrated with other airspace users within "shared airspace" rather than within "segregated airspace". To achieve this, there are six key challenges which need to be overcome: * Development of airspace which is inclusive to all airspace users * Effective governance to manage aviation stakeholders * Development of scalable detect and avoid solutions * Integration and development of a UTM minimum viable product * Integration of drones within an airport environment * Development of airworthiness and software assurance requirements for the enabling technologies BLUEPRINT aims to solve all of these problems, creating an approach for routine and persistent BVLOS drone operations within the UK via a series of capability blueprints as follows: * Airspace - Shared Airspace Zone via mandated Electronic Conspicuity and use of UTM Apps * Governance - An industry body which incorporates senior leaders across the whole aviation sector, to help come to a consensus on rules for shared airspace * Detect & Avoid - Distributed surveillance and tracking service integrated with Command Units * UTM - Building on the CPC Open Access Framework and ASTM standards of interoperability * Aerodrome - Development of project Atomicus (FF2 winner) for airport integration * Regulatory - Assurance standards for manufacturers, software providers and drone operators This makes Blueprint applicable to many use cases and opportunities, especially within the specific category for both multi-rotor, single rotor and fixed wing drones where the growth is predicted to explode in size and scale up to approximately 500kg within controlled and uncontrolled airspace for all airspace users who want to share the air. The aim of the BLUEPRINT is to provide regulators, technology providers and operators with a blueprint for UK wide rollout of BVLOS drone operations which can be commercialised at scale. The blueprint will allow stakeholders to design, plan and build routine and persistent BVLOS drone capabilities which can be exported on a European level.

The vision for the Airspace of the Future (AoF) project is to enable routine operational drone services in a safe coordinated environment on a regional and national basis in cognisance of realistic end user requirements; validated by robust business cases, simulation, stakeholder and public engagement; underpinned by an integrated transportation model with aviation at its core and an exploitation roadmap for the UK. The key deliverables of AoF are as follows recognising that activities will transition from the development into demonstration phase: 1. Develop the rules, system of systems and operational safety cases to allow mixed use airspace by manned and unmanned traffic, 2. Develop a virtual experimentation environment and digital twins to test new rules, processes, systems, technology and operating concepts rapidly at scale, 3. Establish a national test and evaluation facility for commercial unmanned vehicles with representative operational environments which are digitally trusted and secure, 4. Develop customer use cases for large-scale virtual and live demonstration in an expanded and open access environment during Future Flight Challenge (FFC) Phase 3, and 5. Develop a blueprint for the future national airspace structures and ground infrastructure. The innovative and new capabilities to deliver the AoF project are: 1. Enable unsegregated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and complex autonomous flights, 2. Establish a Live, Virtual and Constructed (LVC) test environment at Cranfield to support the regulatory system of system safety case, 3. Commission an incremental national test environment with the regulatory and local authorities at Cranfield and expand to explore more complex ground and airspace challenges for the use cases to enable commercially viable operations at scale, 4. Develop innovative surveillance and traffic management capabilities to safely manage airspace interaction with current systems, and 5. Develop a future airspace blueprint while balancing the existing Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, future Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems, digital trust of users and equipment, cyber resilience of infrastructure and data connectivity. The AoF builds on investment in UK Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre and UK National BVLOS Experimentation Corridor. Research by the members includes Open Access UTM Framework project for the DfT and regulatory activities in the CAA Innovation 'Sandbox'. The AoF consortium has the capacity, skills and world-leading domain expertise, knowledge and facilities to deliver this innovative project which has export potential. This project will drive growth, innovation and accelerate adoption of the air mobility sector and the clean growth challenge.