India has recently launched its first drone air traffic management system called Skye UTM. This is a significant step towards the advancement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in the country. This cutting-edge technology is aimed at streamlining the movement of drones and other remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in the Indian airspace, which is a major requirement for the success of the country's drone industry.

What Is Skye Air?

Developed by Skye Air Mobility, Sky UTM is a cloud-based system for managing air traffic. It links manned aviation airspace with unmanned aircraft traffic. The maximum capacity of UTM is 4000 and 96,000 flights per hour, respectively. More than 300 BVLOS (Beyond Visual Light of Sight) drones are already supported by the system. In India, there are more than a million drones that are in use. They see Skye UTM as a one-stop shop for traffic management solutions.

How Does Skye Air Work?

Skye Air tracks the movement of drones and other RPAS operating in Indian airspace by utilising a network of ground-based sensors, satellite-based communication, and AI-enabled software. The system builds a comprehensive picture of the airspace using real-time data from numerous sources, including drones, weather sensors, and air traffic control (ATC) systems. Based on this data, Skye Air's AI-enabled software examines and forecasts the likelihood of collisions, finds and identifies unauthorised drones, and sends drone operators and ATC workers real-time alerts.

Salient Features

1. UTM is a cloud-based programming/framework that can oversee up to 4000 robot flights each hour from a pinnacle. When compared to conventional air traffic management system in India, this one has a lot of potential.

2. Situational awareness for drone pilots, regulators, and controllers is the primary goal of UTM. More than 255 UAV movement parameters are recorded by the system and stored in a black box. Real-time drone monitoring is made possible by the parameters' real-time publication. In order to provide a systematic description of the flight as a whole, more than 255 parameters have been chosen.

3. A manned and unmanned aerial traffic management system are effectively connected by the system. The stage incorporates with air route specialist organizations, heli-drones, and other monitored avionics frameworks to keep up with the respectability and coordination of air space.

4. UTM lays out ongoing advanced correspondence among robots and air traffic controllers. The stage gives a three-layered perspective on the robot airspace alongside activity and guideline planning servers. This permits continuous observing of UAV developments, airspace announcements, and way check.

5. The stage can speak with a wide range of robots going from studying and conveyance robots to air taxis. The most user-friendly and straightforward interface, pop-up UTM, allows users of all kinds to access the platform and its features.

6. The stage can interface with any model of robot. It can communicate with any drone model and has a highly detailed reporting system for pre- and post-flight.

UTM isolates the robot airspace into particular zones, every last one of the zones saved for conveyances, rapid activities, enormous robots, and traveler airplane (flying cabs). Each zone's drone operations are optimized according to the UAV requirements.

7. The Skye Tunnel is UTM's greatest USP. A high level of automation in drone navigation is made possible by this exclusive tunnel-based navigation feature. The tunneling ensures that the tunnel through drone airspace is uninterrupted from end to end and that there are no empty spots. The feature was designed with traffic management in mind for aerial taxis in Indian cities in the future.

Benefits of Skye Air

Skye Air offers numerous benefits for the Indian drone industry, including:

1. Improved airspace management: Skye Air is anticipated to revolutionise how drones and other RPAS operate in Indian airspace by streamlining and streamlining it.

2. Enhanced safety and security: The system has sophisticated collision avoidance technology, which will assist avoid mid-air collisions and guarantee the safety of drones and other users of the airspace.

3. Increased drone operations: Skye Air will make it possible for more drones to operate in Indian airspace, which will result in a rise in the use of drones across a number of sectors, including infrastructure, logistics, and agriculture.

4. Faster regulatory approvals: The system will make it possible for the authorities to quickly and effectively approve drone operations by giving them access to real-time information about the drone's position, flight path, and other crucial details.

Skye Air is a ground-breaking innovation for the Indian drone market, which is anticipated to expand quickly in the years to come. Real-time tracking, collision avoidance, and predictive analysis are just a few of the sophisticated features that will make it simpler and safer for drones to operate in Indian airspace, encouraging more people to use them and realising the full promise of this technology. An efficient and secure system for managing drone traffic is one essential component that was missing. This void has been filled by UTM, which will help the drone industry reach new heights. The technology can help India establish itself as a worldwide technological centre and as a drone industry leader.