Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM)
The FAA, NASA, other federal partner agencies, and industry are collaborating to explore concepts of operation, data exchange requirements, and a supporting framework to enable multiple beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations at low altitude airspace (under 400 feet above ground level (AGL)) where FAA air traffic services are not provided.
Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) is a "traffic management" ecosystem that is separate from, but complementary to, the FAA's Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. UTM development will ultimately identify services, roles and responsibilities, information architecture, data exchange protocols, software functions, infrastructure, and performance requirements for enabling the management of low-altitude drone operations.
UTM Vision
UTM is how airspace will be managed to enable multiple BVLOS drone operations where air traffic services are not provided.
With UTM, there will be a cooperative interaction between drone operators, service providers, and the FAA to determine and communicate real-time airspace status. The FAA will provide real-time constraints to the UAS operators, who are responsible for managing their operations safely within these constraints without receiving positive air traffic control services from the FAA. The primary means of communication and coordination between the FAA, drone operators, and other stakeholders is through a distributed network of highly automated systems via application programming interfaces (API), and not voice communications between pilots and air traffic controllers.
UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation
In early 2023, the FAA evaluated new industry-proposed UTM capabilities and standards in support of small drone operations. These capabilities and standards are needed to support increasingly complex operations, like package delivery. As these operations become more frequent and start to occur in overlapping areas, the risk of collision between drones increases, highlighting the need for a scalable approach to managing drone-to-drone interactions.
UTM services offer a solution by providing the means for operators to collaboratively manage drone-to-drone risk. Other ways of managing collision risk, such as filing and reviewing Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs), are not effective for automated, proximate operations at a rapid operational tempo.
The UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation is a consortium of industry operators collaborating to implement UTM by effectively managing overlapping BVLOS operations in North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth). The FAA and NASA are engaged with the consortium to safely enable routine drone operations.
Operators at the Key Site are leveraging a framework of services using industry standards that mitigate risks associated with drone-to-drone interactions. The consortium has developed a governance approach that outlines how service providers and operators will share data and manage operations. It also establishes cooperative operating principles and implements mechanisms for capturing service verification through a comprehensive testing system, resulting in a national framework for UTM deployment that assures equitable access to shared airspace.
The successful execution of Key Site activities signals the first near-term implementation of BVLOS operations leveraging UTM services for strategic coordination and provides the data required to expand implementation to future sites, as well as to inform rulemaking.
The FAA has started to issue Letters of Acceptance (LOA) to companies in this consortium to safely conduct commercial drone flights without visual observers in the North Texas airspace. The letters allow them to deliver packages while strategically coordinating with each other using UTM. The FAA anticipates that, as UTM matures and a common set of requirements emerge, these capabilities will be expanded to other locations across the country.
Other operators and third-party service providers can inquire with the current North Texas consortium to find pathways to participation in the shared airspace effort at: https://github.com/utmimplementationus/getstarted
UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation FAQs:
Who will be developing the “federated network?” How will the network of USSs connect with each other and share data?
Industry will develop USS capabilities that adhere to consensus standards, as they have in the testing environments up to this point. Connectivity and data sharing are ensured by network components such as the Discovery and Synchronization Service (DSS) and an automated test harness.
Who is allowed to participate in the operational evaluation?
Any drone operator qualified to operate BVLOS via waivers or exemptions to 14 CFR part 91, part 107, or part 135 may choose to participate. USSs and Supplemental Data Service Providers (SDSPs) that are recognized through the FAA’s Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP) may participate. Other operators and third-party service providers can inquire with the current consortium to find pathways to participation in the shared airspace effort at: https://github.com/utmimplementationus/getstarted.
Do operators at the key site need to be able to detect and avoid crewed aircraft?
Yes. All drone operators need a way to avoid crewed aircraft, whether they are using a USS or not. Crewed aircraft collision risk can be managed using visual observers or a technical detect and avoid (DAA) system and is evaluated by the FAA when a waiver or exemption application is processed.
Will this UTM be able to support future AAM operations?
The focus of this activity is specific to drones using distributed services. Lessons learned may be applicable to future passenger- or cargo-carrying AAM operations.
Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP) for UTM Services
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, PL 115-254, Section 377, directed the FAA to develop a process to permit, authorize, or allow the use of UTM Services based on the service’s ability to maintain the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System, including managing risks on behalf of drone operators. In response, the UAS Integration office developed the Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP), which is intended to expedite third-party service provider approvals. The NTAP is not a certification process. Instead, it is a process by which FAA evaluates the safety mitigation value of a service, so that operators can receive safety credit for using that service when seeking waivers or exemptions.
The NTAP team reviews UAS Service Supplier (USS) and Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP) applicants that support drone operations at up to 400 feet above ground level (AGL). Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) USSs continue to be managed by the FAA Air Traffic Organization, not the NTAP process.
Selection of an NTAP Service Provider (SP) and Champion Operator (CO) involves initial discussions with the candidates and review of their proposed concept of use (CONUSE), concept of operations (CONOPS), service level agreement (SLA), and safety risk management (SRM) plan. Once the candidates have developed their proposal and supporting documentation, the NTAP Program Manager (and other FAA stakeholders, as necessary) will evaluate the submission to ensure the operation meets the established criteria.
Once your submission has been determined to be eligible, the next step to participate in the NTAP program is to sign an MOU with the FAA. Contact the NTAP team at aus-utm@faa.gov for more information, or to get started.
FAA personnel will review existing materials with the service provider using the intake criteria below. Additional materials may be needed so that the FAA can conduct a Safety Risk Management (SRM) evaluation of the service. The FAA uses the NTAP Service Evaluation Matrix to ensure that sufficient materials are provided so that the FAA can fully assess the service provider’s offering.
| NTAP SELECTION CRITERIA | |
| Intake Criteria | Evidence of good faith effort to partner between the service provider and champion operator (e.g. executed MOU) |
| Evidence of partnership or subcontract with other service providers on which the primary service provider is dependent (e.g. data providers, UI/UX providers, API providers) | |
| CO is technically and operationally ready to integrate with service | |
| SP CONUSE and CO CONOPS are drafted | |
| Service exists as an end-to-end prototype in a dev environment (NASA TRL 5) | |
| SP has a stable intended architecture (e.g. flow chart) showing information flows, data sources, and interactions | |
| SP and CO identify other FAA engagements and POCs | |
| SRM Phase Criteria | SP CONUSE, CO CONOPS, and SLA are complete |
| Service is deployed using live data for champion operator integration (dev, staging or prod environment) | |
| Service may conform to a software design standard | |
| Service provider documentation includes requirements traceability matrix (RTM) | |
| Service provider has safety and quality systems in place | |
References
- UTM Implementation: UTM Implementation Plan July, 2023
- UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation: 2023 Drone Symposium Workshop Briefing August, 2023
- UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation: Operator Consortium Listening Session September, 2023
- UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation: FAA–Operator Consortium Meeting December, 2023
- UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation: FAA–Operator Consortium Meeting November, 2023