The world’s largest drone maker, DJI Technologies, announced Wednesday it will begin including airplane and helicopter detectors in nearly all consumer drones manufactured in and after 2020, making it the first company to do so.
Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs for DJI, told 100 industry experts in Washington the company will install technology into all drones over 250 grams that can receive ADS-B signals from the much larger aircrafts.
“DJI was the first company to offer geofencing, automatic altitude limits, return-to-home technology and other safety features to the world’s growing community of personal and professional drone pilots. We believe our efforts have helped drones attain their enviable safety record, and we expect our new agenda will further improve safety even as more drones take to the skies,” Schulman said in a prepared statement.
The AirSense technology is meant to give a heads up to recreational and professional pilots of the unmanned aerial systems that they could be on a collision course if they do not change the flight path. It can detect planes and helicopters while they are still miles away and alerts the drone pilot on the remote controller.
Schulman defended the new additions and insisted they were not due to a large number of drone collisions with larger aircrafts.
“When the public, media, and regulators focus on outrageous incidents that did not occur, it draws attention away from risks that are less sensational but more prevalent,” Schulman said. “There has never been a confirmed collision between a drone and an airplane, but drones have struck low-flying helicopters at least twice. This led us to focus on AirSense as the next opportunity to make drones safer and to embrace the challenge of adding ADS-B receivers to consumer drone models that are already in development.”
The Consumer Technology Association expects 3.4 million drones to be sold in 2019 alone, the highest number in a single year. DJI, a Chinese company, makes 79% of the drones purchased in the U.S. and Canada and 74% of those sold globally, according to a 2018 report by Skylogic Research.
The continued uptick in drone sales and usage will lead to more drones in the skies, and with that, a heightened threat to all aircraft systems. The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced all helicopters and airplanes will be require to have ADS-B transmitters on board starting Jan. 1, 2020.
Industry experts largely applauded DJI for the change.
“As with widespread use of GPS for precision navigation, ADS-B will enable precision surveillance that will enhance safety and efficiency for all operators in the airspace,” Edward Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association, said in a statement.
Rune Duke, senior director of airspace and air traffic at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, expects it will reduce conflicts between the small unmanned and large manned aircrafts. The American Association of Airport Executives also endorsed the move.
The announcement comes during a turbulent week for DJI after the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning that the Chinese-made drones may be forwarding flight path data, GPS information, and photo or video back to China.
