A systems engineering approach applied to U-Space drones: concepts and challenges

The last few years, the concept of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), adopted in Europe as U-Space by the Warsaw Declaration, has triggered numerous research and development projects on new technologies and procedures enabling Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) flights at low altitudes while respecting other airspace users' safety. As a new field, this U-Space concept can defined as a set of innovative services based on latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, or Internet of Things and thus opening up a new range of domain of applications. This emerging field of research requires different approaches in order to design a safe and efficient U-Space. We believe that a Systems of Systems Engineering approach could be suitable to design a functional architecture of U-Space. This paper outlines how a framework of Systems Engineering could be suitable for designing a U-Space for Spain while considering requirements from SESAR Joint Undertaking projects for Single European Sky (SES).