In order to place Germany as a leading location for the future topic of unmanned aviation, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) intensified its research in the field of unmanned flight and opened the National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at the Cochstedt Airport in 2021. DLR's goal is to establish a highly innovative research network for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (short UAS) that is unique in Europe.
In addition to the creation of a test infrastructure for UAS, a commercial airport will also continue to be operated in Cochstedt in parallel to the UAS operation in order to gather knowledge for future applications in this area as well. This is an additional challenge for DLR, which serves to create further testing opportunities for research and industry as well as for regulatory authorities and governmental processes.
With the National Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a real laboratory is now being created in which the necessary capabilities and competencies are bundled. In the real lab, UAS technologies can be tested under real conditions before they find their way into our daily lives.