Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Simulation of Drone Delivery Models in 2030 Japan

Abstract

An unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) system to support flights beyond visual line-of-sight is considered necessary for the promotion of commercial drone use. In the research and development of UTM systems, cost and time constraints make it difficult to actually fly a large number of drones in the same airspace, so research is mainly conducted using a simulator. This paper presents details of a UTM simulator named the “scalable simulator for knowledge of low-altitude environment” (SKALE) developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with respect to the construction of a model case of drone delivery model set in 2030 in Japan. Moreover, UTM concepts for airspace safety and efficient airspace utilization (parcel transport) are proposed and evaluated using JAXA’s UTM simulator and drone delivery model cases. Simulation results are discussed, and the knowledge gained for the improvement of airspace safety and airspace utilization (parcel transport) efficiency is documented.