DRAMS · Drone-based Radio Aid Measuring System

Drone-based Radio Aid Measuring System [DRAMS] solution comprises calibration and inspection of ILS and VOR systems, usually termed Flight Inspection, which is a cornerstone for the air traffic navigation and the safe landing of airplanes in all airports. CANARD drone technology, based on the state-of-the-art unmanned aircrafts, is a novel approach to allow more precise, rapid and cost-efficient Flight Inspection.Background: In air navigation, safety and efficiency are top priorities. The need to ensure safe landing led to the creation of navigational aids (also known Navaids), which are markers that help pilots to land. In aviation, the Instrument Landing System [ILS] is the most commonly used landing aid in the world. This radio-based system precisely guides aircraft pilots along the correct landing course, even in reduced visibility. Meanwhile, Very-high-frequency Omnidirectional Radio range [VOR] is a type of short-range radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling them to determine their position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by ground beacons. For several decades, the market has relied on manned Flight Inspection Aircrafts to do this calibration and ensure proper operation.DRAMS follow a procedures-hardware-software paradigm: A set of operational procedures is performed by a drone equipped with sensors and the gathered data is processed by custom developed software. The software will be developed a way that a single drone with interchangeable sensors and a single App can perform different tasks.Key advantages of DRAMS’ approach are: Inexpensive, readily available, safe, reliable, eco-friendly and compliant to standardsDRAMS will harness the first-mover effect to create a Blue Ocean market inside the mature Flight Inspection market. Our initial market forecast shows that by achieving just 3,75% of the total ILS/VOR inspection market (€336M) we will reach the break even point in 2023 and accumulated revenues of €12,6M by 2025.