TSAMTO, November 2. The commissioning of Russia's first UAV test site, where developers will be able to conduct all types of flight tests, including technology demonstrations and certification flights, has been postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic.
This was announced in an interview with RIA Novosti by the head of the BAS Polygon project (part of the AeroNet market of the National Technology Initiative). Anton Tretyak.
"Due to the fact that the aviation industry has suffered significant damage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project team is forced to postpone the launch date by three months, that is, until February 2022," the agency interlocutor said.
He noted that the project is to create special digital and flight ranges for testing drones. At the experimental site, developers will be able to conduct all types of flight tests - from technology demonstrations to certification flights. The landfill will be located near the Orlovka airfield, 160 km from Moscow. The construction of a flight test center is being completed on a specially allocated plot of land.
The digital platform will allow for an accelerated assessment of the compliance of drones with airworthiness standards, as well as testing devices, control systems and equipment that are still being developed. For this purpose, the landfill is equipped with trajectory measurement tools, a system for conducting and monitoring tests, as well as meteorological equipment.
The source of RIA Novosti added that for the convenience of developers, a "flying laboratory" will function at the landfill. It will accompany the test vehicle during the flight, visually record its condition, as well as current weather conditions at its location. The developers themselves will be able to monitor in special areas equipped with workplaces and rooms for meetings and analysis of results. A hall equipped with workstations and monitoring and control equipment has been designed for flight management and testing groups.
A. Tretyak noted that at the moment the hardware and software complex has been manufactured, the process of construction, installation and commissioning of the components of the landfill is being completed, preparations for testing are underway. According to the authors of the project, in the period 2020-2025 at least 40 unmanned aircraft systems in Russia will need certification. The project is financed by the NTI Project Support Fund, as well as by the project executor, RIA Novosti reports.
