Programme Unmanned and autonomous
Drones are a key enabler for innovative solutions to tackle rapidly changing societal, economic and security challenges. For the Netherlands to play a role in this, the government and Dutch industry, including start-ups and SMEs, must be able to create innovative drone solutions, platforms and systems in a safe, sustainable and cost-effective way, and to integrate these within the airspace. To achieve this, technological innovation in the Netherlands needs to be accelerated.
NLR is the knowledge partner in this field for Dutch industry and government. We offer support in the development, implementation and societal acceptance of unmanned and autonomous aviation, taking into account safety and minimal nuisance. We help with the realisation of safe, sustainable and affordable drone systems and the harnessing of commercial opportunities, and we support the rise of Dutch manufacturers in the area of drones and Urban Air Mobility (UAM).
The programme focuses on providing solutions to the social challenges of smart and sustainable (unmanned and autonomous) mobility and on further developing and implementing unmanned aviation, safely and with proper backing.
Key areas for 2023
- Solving social challenges of unmanned and autonomous mobility aimed at efficiency, minimised disruption, and safety
For society’s challenges of smart and sustainable mobility (including unmanned and autonomous), we offer solutions that focus on safety, efficiency and minimum disruption as well as being seen by the stakeholders as useful and usable. The integrated approach improves both the impact and the visibility of the answers found. More specifically, this focuses on airspace integration including U-Space, UAM and counter-drones.- Simplifying integration of unmanned aircraft into the airspace as a whole
- Helping industry and the government utilise the effectiveness and added value of urban air mobility (UAM) both nationally and internationally
- Taking on a leading role in collaboration on counter-drone solutions to support both government and public partners
- Accelerating the implementation and development of unmanned aviation to create national and international commercial opportunities for Dutch stakeholders
Thanks to the integrated approach, Dutch stakeholders can implement unmanned aviation safely and more quickly, with proper backing, letting them grasp commercial opportunities in the Netherlands and elsewhere. To this end, we make promising application domains available, develop and realise certification support and make efforts to achieve robust deployment of Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) infrastructures- Mapping out the opportunities for new and existing application domains
- Accelerating the development and realisation of vehicle and system development
- Making communication, navigation and surveillance infrastructure more efficient, more robust and
more safely deployable
We are not doing that by ourselves, of course. A wide and diverse range of knowledge partners are involved in it, from ministries (Infrastructure and Water Management, and Defence) and organisations belonging to them (such as the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate), EASA, EREA partners, national and international universities and Eurocontrol, plus a broad spectrum pf national and international companies and associations such as the Dutch Drone Delta and the Alliance for New Mobility Europe.
The knowledge that is to be built up within the programme is equally intended for a very broad group of interested parties. The intended users are governmental departments (the ministries of IenW, Defence and Justice and Security, provinces and municipalities as well as the police, fire brigade, customs and the Dutch food safety authority NVWA), regulators and licensing authorities (EASA and the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate), ANSPs (air navigation service providers, both civil and military) and USSPs (U-Space service providers), drone developers, unmanned aircraft operators, and UAM and other service providers.