Market Overview

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, are rapidly expanding across commercial, public safety, infrastructure, and logistics sectors. At the same time, new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are emerging as part of the broader Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem.

Together, these aircraft introduce a new category of aviation operations characterized by:

• high aircraft density
• low-altitude flight environments
• increasing levels of automation
• mixed operations alongside traditional crewed aviation

Unlike traditional aviation, which relies on centralized air traffic control infrastructure, large-scale UAS operations require new forms of distributed surveillance, airspace awareness, and traffic coordination. Airspace infrastructure providers must enable operators, regulators, and infrastructure stakeholders to safely manage this new environment while maintaining the safety standards of the global aviation system.

PASSUR provides surveillance and airspace intelligence capabilities that support safe integration of drones and Advanced Air Mobility operations within shared airspace.

Key Challenges

Airspace Awareness: Drone operators must maintain continuous situational awareness of nearby airspace activity, including crewed aircraft, other drones, airspace restrictions, and dynamic operational conditions. Without comprehensive airspace awareness, operators cannot safely conduct large-scale or beyond visual line-of-sight operations.

Low-Altitude Surveillance: Traditional air traffic surveillance systems were not designed for dense, low-altitude operations. Drone traffic frequently operates below the coverage of conventional radar systems and within complex urban environments. Reliable surveillance of low-altitude airspace is essential to safely monitor aircraft and drones operating in shared airspace.

Aircraft Identification and Conspicuity: Safe airspace operations require that aircraft be visible and identifiable to other airspace users and regulators. Emerging requirements such as Remote Identification and electronic conspicuity aim to ensure that aircraft operating in shared airspace can be detected and identified.

Detect-and-Avoid: Drones must be able to detect nearby aircraft and maintain safe separation. Detect-and-Avoid capabilities combine aircraft surveillance, trajectory prediction, and conflict detection to identify potential collisions and support avoidance actions.

Scalable Traffic Coordination: As drone operations scale, large numbers of aircraft must be coordinated within the same airspace. UAS Traffic Management (UTM) systems enable strategic flight deconfliction, traffic flow management, and coordinated operations across multiple operators.

Mixed Traffic Integration: Drones and Advanced Air Mobility aircraft must operate safely alongside traditional crewed aviation. This is particularly critical near airports, heliports, and urban corridors where diverse aircraft types operate in close proximity.