Thales, in collaboration with Aeromapper and ONERA, has become the first entity to receive a DVR from EASA for a comprehensive drone system capable of operating under SAIL III conditions.
Thales has received the inaugural full Design Verification Report (DVR) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for operating light drones in the medium-risk SAIL III category. This process, focused on enhancing the safety of UAS operations, reinforces the Group’s standing in the growing civil drone market and marks a significant advancement in certifying the Thales UAS100 platform under rigorous conditions.
Flying drones offers substantial business advantages across diverse sectors, enhancing efficiency while reducing environmental and economic impacts. However, unregulated drone activity poses potential risks to air traffic, installations, and ground personnel. To mitigate these risks, EASA has established comprehensive safety regulations based on risk assessment and proportional measures.
A Specific Operations Risk Assessment is conducted to establish the appropriate Specific Assurance Integrity Level (SAIL) and ascertain the necessity of a Design Verification Report (DVR) from the regulatory agency. Thales, in collaboration with Aeromapper and ONERA, has become the first entity to receive a DVR from EASA for a comprehensive drone system capable of operating under SAIL III conditions.
This European premiere is the result of close cooperation with EASA to define and validate the means of compliance with the Light UAS Special Condition. The solution is based on Thales’ ScaleFlyt avionics system, integrated with the AVEM 300 UAV and its CERBERE safety critical autopilot, provided by the innovative startup Aeromapper. ONERA, the French aerospace lab, conducted the safety analysis through the PHYDIAS R&T project financed by the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC).
Marc Duval-Destin, VP for Strategy, Product Policy, and Innovation, Flight Avionics activities at Thales, commented, “We are particularly proud to achieve such a premiere as it paves the way for wider deployment of secure long-range drone operations. The next milestone to make a step change for civil and governmental UAV operations will be to achieve DVR SAIL IV for Thales UAS100. Defence missions will benefit from the AVEM 300’s proven CERBERE triplex avionics, since Aeromapper recently joined forces with Thales’ land and air systems activities.”
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The Thales UAS100 drone utilizes the same ScaleFlyt avionics solutions that was used to achieve this DVR. The next steps for its certification are already engaged with the agency and a flight test campaign is ongoing, notably through a cooperation agreement with Centaurium UAS, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Centaurium Group, which plans to provide drone services to Swiss authorities and industry players.
