What's next for the Pentagon after the Replicator programme?
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Airbus D&S applies for civil UAV certification
Airbus Defense and Space (D&S) has become the first company to apply for civil type certification for a UAV, with a formal submission lodged with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its Atlante UAV.
EASA is the body responsible for certifying all aircraft designed or operated in Europe. EASA and Airbus D&S will work together to develop a certification process for the Atlante, based on the process normally used for manned aircraft. If successful, the certification will set standards for future UAV certifications in Europe.
The Atlante is a 570kg, single-engine propeller-powered UAV with a wingspan of eight metres. The UAV, which recently performed its first flight, is designed to perform a range of commercial roles, including surveillance of oil pipes, power lines, railways, natural disasters, forest fires or sporting events.
Miguel Ángel Morell, head of engineering for military aircraft, Airbus D&S, said: ‘UAVs represent a rapidly growing activity in commercial aviation that will have a very significant economic impact in the near future.
‘The launch of the Atlante application will help EASA to secure a world-leading position in the establishment of the appropriate regulatory framework under which such systems will be designed, produced and maintained. And it will enable Airbus D&S to maintain a leading industrial position in this new and challenging civil aviation sector.’
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