Hyundai’s Drone Partnership Readies for Take-Off

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

---

24th June 2021

Hyundai hopes to ready its plans for commercial automated air transport solutions for take-off by partnering with a drone specialist.

The automaker has announced its Urban Air Mobility Division will partner with ANRA Technologies, a provider of end-to-end drone operations and traffic management solutions for unmanned system operators and airspace managers. This is the first in a series of air traffic management partnerships Hyundai plans to establish in the development of an industry consortium advancing an advanced air mobility operating ecosystem.

As part of the partnership, ANRA will provide strategic insight on Hyundai’s concept of operations for air mobility airspace management and ground mobility integration. The two companies will also identify research opportunities to help inform regulatory decisions and advance infrastructure projects.

Automated aircraft operators require airspace management support to ensure safe and compliant operations at scale and conform to national and international regulatory requirements. SmartSkies microservices architecture could allow automated airspace management for urban aircraft to scale and adapt to regions around the world. The platform includes mission planning, strategic deconfliction, tracking and monitoring, constraints management, authorization, and registration. Currently, SmartSkies is the only airspace solution providing commercial advanced air mobility services for both NASA and European Union/EASA AAM initiatives.

Pamela Cohn, chief operating officer, Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, said: “As an emerging mobility solution, it is critical diverse parties work together to co-create the AAM ecosystem, including its necessary digital and physical infrastructure. ANRA brings a unique background of operational history in the drone services sector that will help define the operating environment for all AAM vehicles.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_