Originally Posted by
Andrewgr2
How do these drones ‘see and avoid’ other aircraft that are not equipped with electronic conspicuity devices? I’m thinking gliders and some planes for starters although line of sight drones, kites etc may also be an issue. Or can they only operate in controlled airspace? If so that will surely limit their delivery areas - and keep the controllers very busy.
Search for "long-range-bvlos-uav" in Flarm AG web pages. Sorry, but can't post the whole URL because too few postings yet...
"Nice examples of two recent long-range UAV flights across Switzerland using FLARM as the only onboard technology to stay clear of other traffic.
The two independent project – one form ETH Zurich, one from a Locarno-based company – both target a fully autonomous beyond-line-of-sight fixed-wing drone flight in uncontrolled airspace using our Flarm UAV design to detect and avoid manned traffic, to be detectable by manned traffic and to be tracked by professional ground tracking services. FLARM was the only onboard traffic technology, neither ADS-B nor transponders were used."
Flarm is widely used in gliders, copters etc. Also ATC in many places "unofficially" monitors Flarm traffic using the OGN network.