The objective of this Feasibility Study was to ensure that the DRAMS project fulfils the technical, regulatory, commercial and financial requirements for a successful market launch after the subsequent implementation of Phase 2 of this project.
Regulatory - ICAO defines ILS/VOR regulations. ICAO defines a difference between ground and flight inspection of ILS/VOR. This difference means that DRAMS shall include two different phases with separate procedures and RPAs used. Local CAAs evaluate and issue flying authorisations according to ICAO guidelines. Air Navigation Service Providers inspect ILS/VOR in some countries.
International requirements for the certification of RPAs in airspace and aerodromes are still under definition. Because of this, national guidelines rule this field.
Technical - There are few technical issues for DRAMS; all of them solvable with the proper strategy. The comparisons of the relevant equipment providers led to define the best options in the case of ILS/VOR receivers, Fixed-wing Drones and Multicopters. Besides, we haven’t found any serious risk that threatens the feasibility of the DRAMS project. Moreover, this feasibility study has showed us that we can enrich our Phase 2 approach by including other Navaid inspection systems such as Distance Measuring Equipment [DME]. Although some industrial features still need to be reviewed during Phase 2, yet they are only related to adaptation to the final testing and regulatory procedures.
Commercial - There is a substantial market pull in which a solution like DRAMS will thrive. Given the fact that all calibration methods based on the use of unmanned aircraft are very recent technologies, still in the development stage, there are no IP conflicts so without we can market DRAMS serious challenges.
The key point in the sales strategy is to gain the trust of critical stakeholders as soon as possible.
Financial - DRAMS represents an excellent business opportunity not only for CANARD but also for suppliers, licensees and manufacturers. The increased profitability, competitiveness and growth of CANARD and the associated suppliers in the value chain will also highly benefit Europe as a whole.
Business Plan - We reviewed and updated our preliminary Business Plan merging the information derived from the regulatory, technical, commercial and financial sections of the feasibility study. Those results, together with the conclusions collected from the business analytical tools, allowed us to identify our position in the market and the steps to follow from now on. This Business Plan will serve as a baseline, once DRAMS has been validated during Phase 2, to define strategic goals and outline tactical actions to reach our target markets
