General Atomics has signed an agreement with the NLR-Netherlands Aerospace Centre to facilitate the operation of remotely piloted aircraft in non-segregated airspace in Europe.
Linden Blue, CEO of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems business, said in a statement released Tuesday the company will leverage NLR’s air traffic control simulation and modeling capabilities to test the potential integration of medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial systems with the civilian airspace.
The General Atomics-built Predator B UAS is already approved to operate in the segregated European airspace system.
GA-ASI is scheduled to fly this year the first Predator B drone that complies with the NATO STANAG 4671 standard for UAS airworthiness.