A group of organisations has launched a project to strengthen security in the use of drones.
Connected Places Catapult (CPC) has joined with Cranfield University and Belfast based cyber security start-up Angoka in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System (UASAS) project.
It has been backed by funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge, which is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
The project will contribute to the use of drones in public services and the private sector, inlcuding in areas such as search and rescue, protecting national infrastructure and environmental monitoring.
CPC said it will focus on protecting the communications in controlling and flying drones, which could be at risk of being hacked and hijacked, through the creation of an authentication system as a trusted identification service. This would support organisations in ensuring that drones fly into the right zones and without adverse effects on other parties.
Sellafield Ltd plays key role in drone development challenge
Consortium wins share of government challenge fund.
From: Remotely operated drone in flight
Sellafield Ltd has a key role in a consortium of industrial, aerospace and aviation giants that has won a share of a £30 million government challenge fund to develop and test a remotely operated drone system.
The futuristic system will enable remote inspection and monitoring of nuclear sites and has a range of other applications including on construction sites, oil and gas installations, road, rail and telecoms infrastructure and in providing live support to emergency services.
Led by the specialist drone command and control solution developer, Sees.ai, the consortium includes BAE Systems, Atkins, Skanska, NATS, Vodafone and a host of other organisations with unique specialisms and perspectives.
The Future Flight Challenge itself is a government initiative supporting the development of new technologies in the UK, including freight-carrying drones, urban air vehicles, and hybrid-electric regional aircraft.
It is funded by £125 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which is, in turn, expected to be matched by up to £175 million from industry.
The Airspace of the Future project says it will work to integrate quieter, more efficient, and less polluting aircraft within the rest of the transport infrastructure, ensuring aircraft can fly to and from a cost-effective network of small operating bases.
The group will also develop the supporting ground infrastructure, regulation and control systems required to use these new aircraft practically and safely.
Boeing Co has unveiled plans to deliver commercial aircraft capable of using 100% biofuel by 2030. Using existing technologies under current regulations, it can only use biofuel blends of up to 50%, EURACTIV’s media partner, edie.net, reports.
Boeing is striving to halve emissions by 2050 and sees biofuels playing a key role in meeting the target
In a statement released late last week, the US-based plane manufacturer said that changes will need to happen across the fields of jet system engineering and global regulation for the new innovation vision to be realised.
On the former, there are currently no jet systems capable of being fuelled by 100% biofuel that are both large enough to support a commercial aircraft and cost-competitive with traditional systems. On the latter, current international fuel specifications permit blends of up to 50% biofuel, with the rest being conventional, fossil-based jet fuel.