CPD overview:

Earlier this year, uAvionix, Skylift and and British Telecom successfully conducted demonstration flights using uAvionix’s SkyLine cloud-based command and control (C2) system communicating over C-Band and LTE.  The flights achieved two UK firsts for UAS operations; operational Command and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) C2 systems using C-Band and LTE via BT’s Drone SIM and secondly the transmission of ADS-B OUT on 978 MHz for detect and avoid (DAA) operations. 

This demonstration was observed by the CAA. (https://uavionix.com/bt-group-drone-sim-and-uavionix-skyline-deliver-firsts-for-uk-uas-operations-with-skylift-demonstration-flights/)

The UK CAA participate in the ICAO RPAS Panel, which is working to deliver C-Band CNPC at an international level. 

uAvionix has gained US FAA and FCC approval to operate its SkyLink C-Band C2 radios for true BVLOS operations in non-segregated airspace. The radios operating on aviation-protected C-Band frequencies are controlled by uAvionix’s SkyLine cloud-based C2 network solution that combines fleet management, network health monitoring, detect & avoid, and seamless make-before-break roaming between multiple radio networks and ground stations. The system also uses other radio networks, such as LTE, for multi-path, multi-datalink assured CNPC C2.

C2 radio design assurance is critical to meeting the criteria needed to manage risk during BVLOS operations and to meet the safety case requirements. The C-Band C2 radios are compliant with RTCA DO-362A and will become aviation certified to TSO-C213a in due course. The SkyLine cloud-based network control and associated SkyLink and SkyStation radios are the first certifiable C2 network purpose built for BVLOS operations.

uAvionix, operating at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Emerging Aviation Technology Center, recently completed the first true Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight in non-segregated airspace using aviation protected C-Band in the United States. Serving as the Command and Control Communications Service Provider (C2CSP), uAvionix completed the historic flights for CNO, FAA and industry leaders to demonstrate the effectiveness of combining C2 link management and situational awareness for Detect and Avoid (DAA) through the company’s SkyLine software service offering. The flight, a culmination of a multi-year effort involving engineering, operations teams and regulatory review, heralds a significant advancement for UAS operators and businesses seeking to commercialise scalable UAS operations such as medical and package delivery, linear utility inspection, and emergency management. (https://uavionix.com/uavionix-and-choctaw-nation-of-oklahoma-complete-first-us-flights-exercising-faa-and-fcc-approvals-for-aviation-protected-c-band-and-beyond-visual-line-of-sight-