With the development of technical capacities of various aviation equipment, new areas for the aircraft industry’s growth have been introduced. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have become of particular interest in recent decades due to their versatility and usefulness (Liu al., 2021). Nevertheless, despite the accumulated knowledge, several topics must be addressed by the current and future research in this sector. Specifically, the improvement of UAS devices’ classification, dynamic traffic management, and communication capabilities are the prominent areas to be considered in UAS industry growth.
The classification of UAS equipment is a vital issue for airspace organization and management. While some regulations have been previously devised, they do not fully cover the specifics of UAS and its characteristics (Liu al., 2021). In addition, UAS have not been included in the controlled airspace, as none of the available airspace categories fit such devices (Liu al., 2021). Therefore, to ensure appropriate aircraft management, necessary regulations and classifications should be created.
Another complication to be considered is the dynamic traffic management system, which could allow easier maintenance of the airspace traffic. Considering the high numbers of UAS involved in air traffic and the lack of proper control frameworks, it becomes essential to integrate a comprehensive system to mitigate potential aircraft collisions (Liu al., 2021). As current UAS collect and store a variety of digital information, devising a data-driven management approach could be exceptionally beneficial for traffic flow control.
Finally, the communication capabilities of UAS devices could be a pertinent development area for the future decades. Although several modes of communication for UAS, such as ground and air and from air to air, have already been introduced and are being consistently utilized, their capacities could be further enhanced (Liu al., 2021). For example, Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network has been suggested as a means of improving the technological characteristics of UAS, thus establishing more efficient communication pathways.
Reference
Liu, Z., Cai, K., & Zhu, Y. (2021). Civil unmanned aircraft system operation in national airspace: A survey from Air Navigation Service Provider perspective. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 34(3), 200–224. Web.