R&D Infographic
We've created the infographic on the right to help illustrate where we are currently focusing our research.
Our seven key areas of focus include:
1. Intelligent Airspace
2. Intelligent Approach
3. Using real-time data
4. Controller tools
5. Future Comms & surveillance
6. RPAS (Drones)
7. General Aviation
Click on a number in the infographic to find out more about our research in these areas.
You can find out more on specific projects being carried out within these areas in the section below.
Future comms and surveillance
With increasing volumes of aircraft traffic and the desire to have more information about an aircraft when it is airborne, new communications and surveillance infrastructures and methods are needed.
These will underpin the future air traffic management environment and ensure we can maximise the benefit to customers. An important part of this will be how we go about receiving and sharing data.
This data includes accurate aircraft locations, future route intentions and instructions, meteorological data and more. We are researching new ways to ensure data can be exchanged safely and securely.
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Controller tools
Air Traffic Controllers are at the very heart of our operation and we want to provide them with the best tools that will help them to use new concepts and technologies to deliver customer benefits and maximise capacity.
We are developing and designing new tools that will help our controllers to keep the skies safe, maximise capacity and improve environmental performance in the en-route environment as we move towards trajectory-based operations.
We are also developing tools for the airport environment that will help us to improve resilience and make the most of existing ground capacity.
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General aviation
The General Aviation (GA) community is an important part of the UK’s aviation community and as well as recreational flyers, also covers business jets and emergency services.
We are undertaking a number of projects exploring how we can continue to support the GA community and how we best continue to support the safe use of airspace, particularly in light of the changing airspace environment – for example, the growing use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
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Intelligent airspace
With continual pressures to maximise our airspace capacity as traffic grows and the need to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment, we are researching ways to use the finite resource that is our airspace more intelligently.
This includes looking at ways to provide airlines with the optimal routing, which may be outside the current ‘airway’ structure, as well as working alongside the military to increase the flexibility of airspace utilised by both civil and military aircraft.
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Intelligent approach
Airports need to be resilient in all meteorological conditions, particularly in the capacity-constrained South East of England, and be able to offer optimum arrival and departure routes for aircraft in order to maximise capacity and mitigate the impact on communities around airports.
NATS implemented the world’s first TBS arrival system at Heathrow and we are now researching the next versions of this, as well as how we can reduce the environmental impact of aircraft on arrival and departure routes.
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Using real-time data
The exchange of real time data whether it is between controllers, airports, aircraft or between countries is increasingly important for the sustainability and performance of the aviation industry.
Real-time data used intelligently can improve our systems and significantly enhance decision-making.
We are researching how we can use this data to better manage aircraft arriving and departing airports that are supported by NATS as well as aircraft overflying the UK.
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Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)
The use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, sometimes called UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) or drones, is growing and offers significant potential economic, social and security benefits.
However, there are barriers to overcome in order to realise this potential, particularly around safely integrating RPAS use of airspace with other airspace users. We are undertaking a number of projects exploring how best to facilitate this.
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