Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) or drones, as they are commonly known, are part of the latest technological revolution in what has become known as Industry 4.0, giving rise to many professional applications which are already in use in different sectors and have been successfully adopted: from industrial inspections to surveillance and precision agriculture. Very soon, these flying buddies will form part of our day-to-day life, totally integrated into the aerospace environment and accepted as completely natural.
Because of this exponential growth, the potential of this market and the necessity of ensuring appropriate levels of safety, regulatory entities and organisations have identified a need to create a new normative framework and involved industry stakeholders to achieve this objective. One result of this collaborative work is the recent proposal published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which lays the foundations for the commercialisation of drones inside the European Union and whose date of entry into force is expected by the end of this year.
In this regard, an important advantage for ALTER TECHNOLOGY is the wide range of experience and expertise related to product conformity it has gained over the years. This concept is currently in use in the RPAS field and has been enshrined by the European authorities in the design of the regulatory framework outlined above, including the concept of CE Marking as the main way to guarantee product safety. The best pathway to the accomplishment of this goal starts with the conceptual design of the system and continues throughout its lifecycle with a suitable maintenance plan.
The company is an active stakeholder in relevant working groups from different bodies and regulatory organisations and is participating in the creation of standards to strengthen the baseline of the sector’s future, as well as being also a key partner in different RPAS projects, including significant European proposals for diverse entities such as the European Commission (H2020), the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA), and the European Defence Agency (EDA), together with several Spanish initiatives and technology programmes. This experience adds further value to the company’s expertise.
With the dedication of effort and resources, ALTER TECHNOLOGY is committed to being a benchmark within the TÜV NORD Group and, with a clear and strategic plan to this end, to staying at the cutting edge of the future trends and challenges presented by the RPAS market.