DFS uses DLR tool to detect conflict between crewed and uncrewed aircraft routes
- Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is using DLR's NDMap tool to detect conflicts in airspace involving crewed and uncrewed aircraft as part of advancing air traffic management.
- The system is already capable of managing crewed air traffic alongside limited activity from uncrewed aerial systems without any problems.
- Designed for scalability, the system can efficiently detect potential conflicts between flight paths early, even with increasing uncrewed air traffic in the future.
- Focus: Air traffic, UAS, air traffic control, technology transfer
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH has partnered with the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) to ensure the safe integration of uncrewed aircraft systems in German airspace as part of the further development of air traffic management. In this context, DFS has acquired extensive rights to use the N-Dimensional Map (NDMap) tool, developed by DLR, which can identify potential conflicts between a large number of crewed and uncrewed aircraft in real time. Following rigorous testing, the tool's functionality and effectiveness have been validated. In September, DFS and DLR presented the initial test results at the German Aerospace Congress (DLRK) 2024.
NDMap is a highly efficient system developed by the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance for the detection (and resolution) of 'separation infringements' in large traffic scenarios. In aviation, a separation infringement occurs when aircraft fail to maintain the required horizontal and vertical distance from each other. NDMap also detects unauthorised entries in no-fly zones. The algorithm developed is capable of identifying and resolving potential future conflicts between several thousand moving objects within a few milliseconds, even on standard PC hardware.
The results of investigations show that the system is able to efficiently recognise potential conflict situations in air traffic over Germany at an early stage. It is powerful enough to easily manage current crewed air traffic alongside a limited amount of uncrewed aerial activity, with room for future growth in uncrewed air traffic. For example, ongoing DLR studies simulated an ambitious traffic scenario for the year 2050, with more than 308,000 flights in a single day. In this global scenario, the algorithm required an average of 2.1 milliseconds to identify all potential conflict situations on a flight path for each aircraft.
"Airspace is becoming increasingly complex with new participants such as drones. Efficiently identifying and mitigating potential conflicts in advance is therefore essential for safe traffic management," says Dirk Kügler, Head of the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance. "Our NDMap tool provides a powerful foundation for this."