Obtain flight mission readiness, enabling rapid intervention for healthcare and critical infrastructure, leveraging all value chain actors and U-Space services.

Project Information

SAFIR-Ready

Grant agreement ID: 101114855

DOI

10.3030/101114855

Project closed

EC signature date 15 June 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 31 May 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 9 293 275,00

EU contribution

€ 6 497 545,50

Coordinated by

HELICUS BVBA
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SAFIR-Ready (Obtain flight mission readiness, enabling rapid intervention for healthcare and critical infrastructure, leveraging all value chain actors and U-Space services.)

Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SAFIR-Ready, an ambitious EU-funded initiative under Horizon Europe, seeks to transform emergency response and critical infrastructure management by integrating Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) with U-Space technologies. Addressing the escalating demand for rapid, resource-efficient aerial operations, the project fosters a highly automated drone ecosystem to enhance response speed and operational capacity while reducing reliance on resource-intensive assets.
Its solution comprises three core components: a Drone Cargo Port for automated deployment, a centralized Command and Control Center for mission coordination, and advanced U-Space services for dynamic airspace management. These innovations enable critical applications, including real-time infrastructure inspections and the rapid delivery of life-saving medical supplies. Supported by a multidisciplinary consortium, SAFIR-Ready employs iterative development and real-world demonstrations to establish a scalable, adaptable framework for next-generation emergency services, setting a new standard for operational resilience across Europe.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has made substantial progress in advancing automated U-space services at U3 and U4 levels, particularly by focusing on the integration of unmanned aerial systems into both controlled and uncontrolled airspace, inside and outside the u-space context, environments to enable scalable, time-critical drone operations, particularly in the medical and critical infrastructure sectors. While the full scope of the project is still unfolding, significant technical and scientific milestones have already been reached.

The structured validation process, taking place across multiple regions and phases, ensures that each technical component undergoes rigorous assessment under real-world conditions. Initial validation exercises have demonstrated the feasibility of using ad-hoc point-to-point UAS flights for urgent medical logistics and critical infrastructure monitoring, with ongoing efforts to refine the interoperability between various stakeholders. The project’s commitment to automation has been particularly evident in the integration of command-and-control center with drone cargo port into operational contexts, streamlining the logistics of emergency healthcare deliveries and enabling seamless air-ground coordination. At the core of these technical advancements is the Distributed Integrated Decision Tree Architecture (DIDTA), a novel framework that allows for adaptive decision-making across multiple operational layers, ensuring optimal system uptime and mission prioritization based on real-time situational needs. Given the project’s emphasis on BVLOS operations, ongoing research is dedicated to improving automated authorization exchanges, enhancing situational awareness in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace, and developing more refined protocols for conflict resolution and trajectory management. Although many of the technological developments are still in their iterative phases, early results have already demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce response times for medical deliveries, increase the efficiency of crisis response interventions, and enhance the overall safety and reliability of operations. The validation exercises conducted in Ypres, and in simulated environments are playing a crucial role in refining these technologies, with the final phase of testing expected to further solidify the project’s findings and provide the necessary data for standardization and regulatory recommendations.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

While the SAFIR-Ready project remains in development and validation, interim results indicate substantial potential to advance urban air mobility, particularly through automated drone services for time-critical applications such as medical logistics and critical infrastructure monitoring. Thus far, the core development centres the demonstration of U-space services facilitating rapid and reliable BVLOS emergency medical operations, enhancing scalability and operational efficiency in real-world scenarios, aligning with European objectives to integrate unmanned aerial systems into existing airspace while maintaining rigorous safety, efficiency, and interoperability standards.

Among the project's key technical results are: the integration of dynamic capacity management solutions, optimizing airspace allocation based on evolving operational demands to minimize conflicts and enhance drone traffic efficiency; the development of detect-and-avoid algorithms - significantly improving safety by enabling autonomous navigation in complex urban environments and; progressing in machine-to-machine communication, facilitating seamless data exchange between drones, the command-and-control center and U-space stakeholders, thereby enabling rapid decision-making and reducing delays in mission execution.

Challenges to be addressed to achieve full-scale deployment and commercialization, involve the refinement of regulatory and standardization frameworks to accommodate large-scale BVLOS operations, as existing legislation is not yet fully adapted for diverse and practical implementation. Additionally, current processes do not adequately support the automation and interoperability envisioned by the project. In response, SAFIR-Ready is actively contributing recommendations for regulatory measures to streamline authorizations, enhance integration with air traffic management systems, and establish clearer guidelines for prioritizing UAS missions based on urgency and societal impact.

Initial demonstration work confirms the feasibility of drone-based services, further research and pilot projects will be necessary to attract commercial stakeholders and public-sector adopters capable of driving large-scale implementation. Securing specialized funding mechanisms, including public-private partnerships and EU innovation grants, will be essential to bridging the gap between technological feasibility and commercial sustainability. The remaining validation and demonstration phases will thus be pivotal in refining these solutions.