The companies participating in the Airport System Protection from Intruding Drones (ASPRID) Project have developed an operational concept to protect airport operations from unwanted drones.
The participants of ASPRID did this by creating a system architecture that can identify technologies, procedures and regulations that can help the airport environment recover from any disruption as quickly and efficiently as possible. To test the solution, the companies carried out a laboratory test in a gaming exercise format to validate the operational concept of the system.
The aim of this exercise was to enact scenarios in which real-time airport traffic simulation software tools have been used, as well as to develop a reporting environment during the project. Traffic controllers from air navigation management company Enaire and experts from Aena’s safety and operations divisions participated in the simulations.
The ASPRID project is funded by SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 892036. The test was organized at the facilities of Spain’s National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), along with SoulSoftware SRL, Aerospace Laboratory for Innovative Components (ALI Scarl) and the Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA). During the exercise, the experts conducted questionnaires and recorded system efficiency, human performance and the impact on airport security.
The qualitative and quantitative data collected will be evaluated by the participants. The two-year project involves seven European entities from Spain, Italy and France, with experts in the different sectors involved, including airports, research, innovation technologies, drone operations, IT, safety and security.
The companies that make up the consortium are: Aena, Aerospace Laboratory for Innovative Components (ALI Scarl), Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA), Enaire, National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA) and SoulSoftware SRL.
