Thales has secured a contract with Finland’s VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) to provide its Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) solution, TopSky – AstraUTM, to the U-Space Finland Precommercial Pilot Implementation project, with the aim of creating a programme to enable safe and efficient air mobility operations.
The project is part of VTT’s Drolo 2 Project which seeks to develop and deploy drone systems, products, and services across a range of applications, such as agriculture and airport operations. Thales is providing an automated platform for research, with the contract also including UAS flight authorisation, geo-awareness and network identification, and real-time traffic management and information, and weather services.
“This collaboration with Thales marks an important step in Finland’s journey to establish a robust and efficient U-Space framework,” said Timo Lind, Principal Scientist and Chief Drone Pilot at VTT. “By leveraging Thales’s expertise and technology, we aim to test a safe, scalable, and innovative environment for unmanned aviation operations, positioning Finland at the forefront of U-Space adoption and airspace innovation.”
“We are honoured to collaborate with VTT in advancing U-Space integration in Finland,” commented Jeremy Hooper, Vice-President Air Traffic Control and Digital, Thales. “This award underscores Thales’s leadership in delivering advanced UTM solutions that are compliant with the most rigorous safety and regulatory standards. Our solution will empower Finland’s drone operators to unlock the full potential of UAS technology, while maintaining the highest safety and security standards.”
Photo: Thales
