Back

Print

CORUS-XUAM

CORUS-XUAM is an EU project funded by SESAR JU dedicated to implement Urban Air Mobility (UAM) solutions within U-space by developing the necessary operational procedures and requirements considering safety, efficiency and social acceptability. A core element of the project are six demonstrations in different European countries.

The CORUS-XUAM EU project proposes to demonstrate U-space solutions to support Urban Air Mobility (UAM) flight operations and to develop the necessary operational procedures and requirements, considering safety, efficiency and social acceptability. The consortium is an extension of the CORUS consortium, which delivered the SESAR U-space Concept of Operations in September 2019, with the addition of UAM competencies. CORUS-XUAM is funded by the SESAR JU within Horizon 2020.

The project will involve extensive consultation with the U-space stakeholders. In a first step, the U-space ConOps will be updated, addressing the integration of drones into airspaces currently used by manned aircraft (Very Low Level and above), refining definitions of services and identifying new U3/U4 services.

The theoretical part of the project will constitute a small part of the overall effort of the project, the majority being six demonstrations in different countries. Overlaid on these demonstrations, a validation activity will examine the effectiveness of the proposed U-space procedures and services, the main results being implemented into the revised ConOps by the end of the project.

The DLR is working on both the extension of the ConOps as well as the very large-scale demonstration (VLD) taking place in Germany and the UK. The main goal of this VLD is the optimisation of urban flight route structures from airport to metropolitan areas. Business aspects such as on-time departure and arrival are of special interest, while efficiency of routes within congested urban airspace is also considered. In addition, the interaction with Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations will be studied to address prioritisation procedures within conflict management. Urban locations used as reference are located within the controlled airspace areas (CTR) of Frankfurt Airport (Germany), London City, and London Heathrow Airports (UK). The interaction between ATM and U-space, and the integration of UAS into existing ATM structures, will be tested extensively.

Video of the large-scale demonstration at the National Test Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems of the DLR

This project has received funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101017682.