The Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development (FADA) is a non-profit organization that takes care of the management of the Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) and the associated technological infrastructure, called ATLAS, a flight test laboratory for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The main goal is R&D on aerospace related technologies in coordination with industries, universities and other research centres.
Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC)
Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) is a technological center oriented to the aeronautical sector and with more than 11 years of experience in the development of technologies for unmanned aerial systems or UAS, including new technologies that allow the integration of autonomous aerial vehicles in the airspace and high precision navigation systems. CATEC also has a strong presence in working groups related to the new European drone regulation.
The Avionics &Systems Division , in charge of this project, has extensive experience in the following fields of research and development related to unmanned aerial mobility: intelligent navigation, autonomous real-time decision systems for aerial vehicles, airspace integration, U-space functionalities and multi-vehicle systems. In fact, FADA-CATEC is currently the main national technology center related to autonomous aerial systems for civil applications, having participated in more than 100 R+D+i projects related to iMOV3D technologies, during the last 10 years and for more than 75 different clients. Out of these projects, 21 have been European projects (9 FP7 and 12 H2020) with FADA-CATEC leading three of them, and being right now the coordinator of recently awarded PILOTING project. Currently FADA-CATEC counts with a research team of 25 highly qualified people. In addition, it has more than 90 publications in journals and conferences, and 4 patents related to autonomous air systems and the subject matter of this iMOV3D initiative.
Air Trafic Laboratory for Advanced unmanned Systems (ATLAS)
ATLAS (Air Trafic Laboratory for Advanced unmanned Systems) is a Test Flight Centre located in Villacarrillo (Jaen) which offers the international aerospace community an aerodrome equipped with excellent technological-scientific facilities and airspace ideally suited to the development of experimental flights with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS/RPAS). ATLAS has excellent weather conditions with more than 300 operation days per year, and also a 30x35 segregated airspace (up to 5,000 feet) allowing BVLOS flights to be carried out under current Spanish and new European regulations. For more information about ATLAS, please visit: atlascenter.aero