High Lander Aviation granted CAAI license to provide U-space services throughout Israel

High Lander Aviation has received a license from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) to authorize drone flights throughout Israel via its uncrewed traffic management solution, Vega UTM. The news follows the grant of a similar licence to Airwayz (https://www.unmannedairspace.info/latest-news-and-information/airways-granted-caai-license-to-provider-u-space-services-throughout-israel/).

The “license to operate air traffic management units” was granted days after the regulator’s emergency ruling that drones can only fly in Israel if continuously broadcasting operational data to an approved UTM system. The CAAI’s decision marks the first time that a UTM connection has been made a prerequisite of approval for drone flights, says the press release.

High Lander’s Vega UTM is a software-only solution that creates control tower regions to monitor and display aerial activity within these regions in real time. The system autonomously approves and denies flight plans according to prioritization protocols, suggests flight plan alterations when needed, and provides operators with up-to-the-minute notifications of relevant airspace data. The system gives a consolidated picture of any defined airspace, enabling it to integrate with counter-drone systems for non-cooperative target recognition (NCTR) services and empower national authorities, public safety services and businesses alike to make informed airspace management decisions. Drone operators can connect to Vega in one of three ways: by flying a drone with built-in Remote-ID (such as DJI’s Mavic 3 Enterprise Series), by attaching a Remote-ID transmitter to the body of their drone, or by connecting to Orion DFM, High Lander’s drone fleet management solution.

The CAAI’s regulation 10916, published on 23 November 2023, states unequivocally that it is forbidden to fly any drone with a net weight of 200 grams or over at takeoff in very low level (VLL) airspace if it is not connected to an authorized UTM network and continuously communicating with that network. Specifically, a drone must broadcast operational data as defined by ASTM F3411-22a, which includes its serial number, time stamps, and its location, altitude, velocity and direction. The CAAI regulation states that this data can be shared with approved organizations such as the military, police, intelligence services and other homeland security forces, at their request.