Spain’s transport ministry has published its National Action Plan for the Deployment of U-space in Spain, the roadmap for integrating digital drone services in Spanish airspace, identifying key roles for military authorities to mange U-space services for State and military drone operations.
The action plan broadly translates the European’ Union’s U-space Regulation into the Spanish national context, but noting “….the U-space Regulation states that it should not apply to aircraft operations carrying out military, customs, police, search and rescue, firefighting, border control, coastal surveillance or similar activities or services undertaken in the general interest (non-EASA activities) unless the Member State has decided to apply rules on unmanned aircraft to some or all of those activities.”
“Therefore, the Ministry of Defense must be part of the coordination, cooperation and collaboration mechanisms that are established for the implementation of U-space. On the other hand, the U-space Regulation will be applicable in the case of non-EASA civil operations, in the terms in which it is agreed and with
The National Action Plan has defined the U-space roles of current Spanish aviation organisations:
- General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), will carry out its work as a regulator and body on which the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) relies to coordinate, both nationally and internationally, the numerous organizations, entities and entities of the s
- State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), will ensure that the activity is carried out with full safety guarantees and will also supervise compliance with national and community r Under his competencies, he will continuously certify and supervise CISP and USSP suppliers.
- ENAIRE, a public business entity attached to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, will play the role of sole provider of common information services (CISP), playing a fundamental role in the development of the platforms and technology necessary for the provision of these services at the national l Additionally, it will become a U-space service provider (USSP) for specific public sector activities. Likewise, as the main provider of air navigation services and the only provider of aeronautical information in Spain, and given the obvious interrelations and synergies that can be derived from the coordinated operation of conventional civil aviation and UAS, it will have a very relevant operational role.
- For its part, the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) will collaborate with the rest of the organizations involved in the Plan…
…“In this regard, although military and state aircraft are excluded from the scope of application of the U-space Regulation and units, centres and agencies of the Ministry of Defence are excluded from the application of this Plan, the participation of this ministry in relation to U-space airspace is considered key to ensuring the level of safety and security required in these airspaces.”
For more information
https://www.mitma.gob.es/aviacion-civil/politica-espacio-aereo
