DFS Aviation Services to provide European MALE RPAS Preliminary Safety Assessment.

The European MALE RPAS Programme Division (MRPD) placed a contract with the German Air Navigation Service Provider – DFS Aviation Services (DAS) – on a Preliminary Safety Assessment. The objective of the safety assessment focuses on facilitating the integration of the European MALE RPAS in segregated and non-segregated airspaces.

Airbus unveiled a full-size mock-up of the MALE RPAS at the ILA Air Show in Berlin
(Credit: Airbus/Schwarzbild Medienproduktion/Max Thum)

The kick-off meeting, together with PSs and industry representatives from CCG (Co-contracting group), took place on 4 September at the MRPD facilities in Hallbergmoos. The duration of the contract is 6 months and will cover several workshops to tackle all necessary elements and to finally provide detailed inputs to draft a comprehensive Air Traffic Integration set of requirements for the upcoming European MALE RPAS Stage 2 contract.

A full-size mock-up of the MALE RPAS was unveiled at the ILA Air Show in Berlin On 26 April by the State Secretaries of the Participating States, OCCAR Director and the CEOs of the involved companies (Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo).

The unveiling of the full scale model and the reaffirmed commitment comes after a nearly two-year definition study launched in September 2016 by the four participating nations Germany, France, Italy and Spain and follows the Declaration of Intent to work together on a European MALE unmanned aerial system signed by the countries in May 2015.

In January 2018, the MALE RPAS successfully passed System Requirements Review (SRR), which initiated the second phase of the definition study to lead to a System Preliminary Design Review (SyPDR), scheduled for the end of this year.

The SyPDR will demonstrate the quality and fitness for the proposed design. “Air Traffic Integration” and certification are key objectives, giving the participating States full confidence that the development step can be launched with acceptable residual risks.

Preparations for the next stage (development, production and initial in-service support) are already well under way. Entry-into-service of European MALE RPAS is planned for the middle of the next decade.