Airservices Australia has announced the first round of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Service Suppliers (USS) to connect to the new Flight Information Management System (FIMS), the data-sharing platform that will enable drones and other uncrewed aircraft to be safely incorporated into Australian airspace.
Following a Request for Proposal in late 2024 seeking specialist USS technology providers to collaborate with Airservices, Australian owned and operated AvSoft and Yarra Drones, along with United States based OneSky, have been selected to participate in the first round of technical integration with the FIMS.
The FIMS will be at the core of Australia’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) ecosystem. It will enable Airservices to share flight information between air traffic control, traditional aircraft, and uncrewed airspace users.
“With over 60 million drones predicted to be utilising Australian airspace by 2043, delivering the UTM ecosystem through cross government and industry collaboration will ensure a safe, efficient and harmonised airspace for both uncrewed and conventional aircraft,” Airservices said in a February 11 press release. “In the lead up to Airservices’ FIMS going live in late 2025 and beyond, these partnerships will also play a critical role in collectively delivering cutting edge, digital UTM solutions for drone operators as industry providers integrate their platforms with the FIMS.”
Supported by Airservices’ strategic partner Frequentis Australasia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the USS onboarding and integration process involves working together on end-to-end testing of FIMS capabilities, assuring technical and regulatory requirements and driving growth in the UAS industry.
Airservices Australia Head of Transformation Uncrewed Services Integration, Luke Gumley, said more USS will be welcomed through future onboarding rounds next year, which will benefit from the preliminary work by the first cohort.
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