Milestone for the U-Space real-world laboratory North-West Germany and the German Bight
State of Lower Saxony grants BVLOS ascent permit for a 3600 square kilometer area for drone testing
Bremen, 30.05.2023: The state aviation authority of Lower Saxony has now granted permission for BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flights of UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) in north-western Germany. The approval is a further milestone in the development of the project, which is being driven forward by Bremen-based b.r.m. IT & Aerospace in North-West Germany and the German Bight. b.r.m. IT & Aerospace is regarded as a leading developer of comprehensive digital services, including for BVLOS flights, which the company offers its customers as a future U-Space Service Provider (USSP).
The permit holder is Flugschule Borkum GmbH. Alongside Bremer b.r.m. IT & Aerospace with the new Hatten-UAS drone test center and the Oldenburg-Hatten airfield (EDWH), it is part of the group of companies owned by Bremen entrepreneurs Harald and Markus Rossol.
The permit for BVLOS drone operations covers a total area of 3600 square kilometers. It extends with a corridor over largely uninhabited areas from Hatten-UAS at the Oldenburg-Hatten VLP across the Jade Bay to the North Sea. North of the East Frisian Islands, it extends as far as the Dutch border (see diagram). The height limit is 120 m.
"The approval is an important step for us on the way to becoming a real laboratory for North-West Germany and the German Bight," says Markus Rossol, Managing Partner of b.r.m. IT & Aerospace. "It also paves the way for the more effective development of solutions for the orderly and coordinated coexistence of UAS from industrial, university and other civil operators and manned aircraft within the existing airspace structures."
Markus Rossol continues: "We are pursuing an integrative approach to drone operations as part of the U-Space Reallabor North-West Germany and German Bight, for which a strict spatial demarcation between UAS and manned aircraft is not a mandatory requirement. As a U-Space Service Provider, we are planning to set up the UAS Control Center Bremen (USSP) in our sustainably operated data center, through which we will offer our customers all the services required for drone operations under VFR, IFR and night VFR conditions. The aim is to significantly simplify coordination and automate UAS operations while increasing safety."
The approval from the Lower Saxony State Aviation Authority currently relates to test operations with the OptoPrecision VT-4 "Rochen". The UAS with a speed of up to 180 km/h, a flight mass of 100 kg and a range of 600 km was developed primarily for environmental monitoring. Systems such as ADS-B and FLARM are integrated into the UAS for mutual recognition in airspace and, if necessary, automated safe evasive maneuvers.
"We are very pleased that we have now acquired further well-known customers whose UAS we can easily include in the scope of approval with our expertise," says Markus Rossol. "Our unique combination of IT, USSP services and the provision of aeronautical infrastructure underpins our role as a leading service provider for the thriving UAS sector."
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