Abionica Solutions And UAV Navigation Works Together In UAV Certification

UAV Navigation, Spanish leader company in Flight Control Systems Solutions to UAVs, signs a collaboration Agreement with Abionica Solutions-specialized company in engineering systems, avionics and UAVs Certification areas-, to achieve their customers’ systems certification.

One of the biggest challenges to UAV providers and operators in this market is the European Regulation of civil category-specific drones. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) intends to publish this new regulation in July 2020 and it will be mandatory in all EU countries from July 2021. It is expected to lay the foundations for a change in the global regulatory trend, especially among other aviation safety agencies in western regions, such as the USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Abionica Solutions is a participant in the aware of the industry’s recommendations to EASA on the safety, quality and airworthiness standards defined by EUROCAE Working Groups, of which Abionica’s Technical Team is part in.

UAV Navigation and Abionica Solution, in their strategic alliance, see regulation as an opportunity, rather than as a market barrier: those systems that comply with the regulation will be certified by EASA and its operators will achieve the green light from national aviation security agencies. All kinds of new civil and commercial services will begin to be carried out with UAVs -such as parcel delivery, security and surveillance or search and rescue-, over urban areas, BVLOS or segregated airspace. The cooperation between the two Spanish companies aims to cover the certification needs of UAV Navigation customers, thought the experience and systems engineering processes of Abionica, aligned with the traditional aeronautical industry (ARP4754A, DO254, DO160…), verifying and validating their UAVs systems before regulatory entities. In the same way, Abionica sees UAV Navigation products and solutions as highly valuable in reducing project and market risks for its customers, with more than a decade of experience providing autopilots, reaching an incomparable level of maturity in the sector.

Abionica Solutions team, led by Antonio Bedmar, has managed to identify and provide a solution to the market need of professional UAVs, through high-level consulting services, specialized in technical advisory services, certification support and airworthiness. Abionica supports the design and integration of its customers’ Flight Control Systems, from technical specifications to validation, using model-bases design methodologies (MBSE and digital twin), systems identification, simulation and flight control. In this way, Abionica generate the necessary solutions and evidences for the authorities, both in design and verification, with reduced developing times and project risks.

Since 2004, UAV Navigation and its technology have accumulated more than 60,000 hours of flight, with more than 2,000 autopilots sold. VECTOR autopilot hardware has been successfully evaluated at the INTA aerospace laboratories, where a series of tests and methods proved that the hardware is compliant with the very stringent MIL-STD defense standards: MIL-STD-810F (Environmental Testing) and MIL-STD-461F (EMI/EMC testing). In addition, UAV Navigation’s software is designed following DO-178C standards and its philosophy is to approach all of its product development from an aeronautical and procedural point of view. UAV Navigation adheres to strict Quality Assurance procedures and is certified annually in accordance with ISO 9001:2015. This body of experience, testing and procedures mean that the Company is well positioned to undertake a certification project together with a client.