SMAT F1 conducts successful triple-platform flight

3rd October 2011 - 17:38 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Three European UAS have flown simultaneously in civil airspace for the first time as the first phase of the advanced land monitoring system (SMAT F1) project completed its final demonstration.

The Selex Galileo Falco, Alenia Aeronautica Sky-Y and Nimbus C-Fly participated in the flight on 30 September, an announcement from Finmeccanica said.

Taking off and landing from a civil airport, the systems flew over Levaldigi, Benevagienna and Turin in Piedmont, Italy.

‘The main aim of the SMAT F1 project was to study and test a monitoring system for the prevention, emergency and territorial protection phases in a wide range of events,’ according to the statement.

Examples of civil events included floods, fires, landslides, traffic, town planning, pollution and farming.

The SMAT F1 project was developed by a working group coordinated by Alenia Aerospace, and the temporary special-purpose consortium comprised of large companies, scientific research institutes, and 11 small and medium-sixed enterprises from Piedmont, the region through which the project was funded and the final demonstration was flown in.

The flight was monitored by ENAC, Italy’s civilian aviation authority, as well as air traffic control body ENAV.

According to Finmeccanica, this is the first time that multiple UAS have: flown jointly and at the same time in the same airspace; flown in a flight area that is not a military firing range; taken off and landed at a civil airport; and operated in an area located over land and not over sea.