{"id":35434,"date":"2019-12-22T20:49:02","date_gmt":"2019-12-22T20:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/22\/new-nato-surveillance-drones-bet-on-italian-safety-ruling\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:40:59","slug":"new-nato-surveillance-drones-bet-on-italian-safety-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/unmanned\/2019\/12\/22\/new-nato-surveillance-drones-bet-on-italian-safety-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"New NATO surveillance drones bet on Italian safety ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLOGNE, Germany \u2014 NATO members are relying on Italy\u2019s safety certifications for the alliance\u2019s new Alliance Ground Surveillance drone fleet, as questions remain about the aircraft\u2019s ability to fly through Europe\u2019s regulated airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The status of the airworthiness-certification process is outlined in a recent government response to a parliamentary inquiry lodged by the far-left political party Die Linke. According to the document, Berlin is aware that the Italian government issued a so-called military-type certification in late October for the Northrop Grumman-made Global Hawk Block 40 drones, five of which will be stationed in Sigonella, Sicily, in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But officials said they have no information about the scope of an additional certificate required for actual operation of the drones alongside civilian aircraft, or whether the drones are authorized to fly in Italian airspace at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operating military, unmanned aircraft safely in shared airspace remains an unsolved problem that contractors on both sides of the Atlantic are trying to address. That is why, for now, drone flights through regulated airspace require special corridors temporarily closed to all other traffic, a burdensome process especially in densely populated regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That will be the case for NATO\u2019s drones traversing Germany, according to the Defence Ministry\u2019s written response, dated Dec. 18. The aircraft are slated to use the same corridor \u2014 limited to one drone at a time \u2014 previously established for the U.S. Air Force. The service sent its own Global Hawks from Sigonella to support operations under the European Reassurance Initiative in the Baltic region, most recently during three flights in February, April and May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collision avoidance by way of sensors and autonomous avionics is one of the technology fields key to making large, military drones compliant with safety regulations. According to the German government, the alliance\u2019s new aircraft are not equipped with sense-and-avoid technology, nor do they feature a \u201cTraffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System,\u201d defense officials wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\t