Preventing Drone and Helicopter Collisions in Dense, Low-Altitude Operations

Ciconia’s Collision Avoidance System: Enhancing Airspace Safety for Crewed and Uncrewed Aircraft

The safe integration of drones into national airspace is one of the biggest challenges facing the aviation industry today. Israel-based Ciconia, founded in 2016, is addressing this issue with its Coordination & Collision Avoidance System (C&CAS). Led by co-founder and CEO Moshe Cohen, along with fellow founders Gil Yannai and Ilan Zohar, Ciconia is developing advanced solutions that allow manned and unmanned aircraft to operate safely in dense, low-altitude airspace. Unlike existing technologies, Ciconia’s system stands out for its near-zero false positive rate and its ability to provide precise, real-time evasive steering commands.

 

Addressing a Critical Safety Challenge

Cohen’s and his company’s motivation for developing a collision avoidance system began in 1997 after a tragic mid-air collision in Israel claimed the lives of 73 soldiers. At the time, experts deemed it impossible to create a collision avoidance system for helicopters due to their close proximity in flight and the high rate of false alarms. This challenge became the foundation for Ciconia’s work.

C&CAS is designed to identify and respond to only the most critical risk situations, generating precise steering instructions to prevent collisions. The complexity of this task is compounded by the presence of crewed aircraft, where pilots must trust and follow system-generated commands. Ensuring that these commands align with pilot instincts and experience is key to the system’s success.

A Game-Changer for Urban Air Mobility and Emergency Response

One of the biggest barriers to the widespread adoption of urban air mobility (UAM) and drone delivery services is the fear of collisions in low-altitude airspace. While technological advancements have addressed many safety concerns, the risk of mid-air conflicts remains a major obstacle to scale. Ciconia’s system offers a solution by ensuring that every vehicle—whether manned or unmanned—transmits its location and identification data.

Cohen advocates for viewing Remote ID as a safety measure rather than just a security feature. The C&CAS allows crewed and uncrewed aircraft to operate in close proximity by reducing the need for large safety margins. This capability has been demonstrated in Texas and elsewhere, where a drone and a helicopter are able to function in close quarters safely, deconflicting when they risk collision. For first responders, this could mean operating drones alongside helicopters in firefighting or disaster relief efforts without having to ground one or the other.

Not a Replacement for UTM, but a Critical Layer of Safety

Despite its advanced capabilities, C&CAS is not designed to replace Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) systems but rather to complement them. While UTM provides a high-level framework for coordinating drone operations, Ciconia’s system operates at the vehicle level, offering immediate conflict resolution without overwhelming operators. The system introduces critical information at the right moment—early enough to avoid collisions but without creating cognitive overload for pilots or drone operators.

The system operates in three stages:

1. Notification: Alerts pilots and operators of potential risks.
2. Recommendation: Provides guidance on the best course of action.
3. Autonomous Control: If necessary, the system can take control of an unmanned vehicle to avoid a collision and then return control once the risk is mitigated.

Proven Effectiveness in Real-World Scenarios

Recent flight tests involving both manned helicopters and drones highlighted the importance of trust in the system. Initially, pilots hesitated to fly at higher speeds due to uncertainty about whether the drone would move out of the way in time. As trust in the system grew, test pilots were able to confidently rely on C&CAS, demonstrating its ability to work precisely as intended.

Ciconia is already engaged in pilot programs in Israel and California and has partnered with Sagetech Avionics to develop prototypes. Ciconia and Sagetech won a BIRD foundation grant to develop the C&CAS for first responders. With growing regulatory focus on drone integration into national airspace, the company is also working with NASA and advocating for widespread adoption within the FAA and the broader aviation industry.

Enabling the Future of Aviation

As urban air mobility evolves, the ability to operate multiple air vehicles in close proximity will be essential. Unlike cars on the road, where emergency vehicles can rely on sirens and flashing lights to navigate through traffic, airspace coordination requires a seamless, automated approach.

Ciconia’s vision is clear: enabling a future where drones, air taxis, and first responders can share the skies safely. With tens of thousands of low-altitude flight hours informing its development, C&CAS is positioned to become a critical enabler of dense aerial operations. By reducing the probability of miscommunication and human error, Ciconia is paving the way for a safer and more scalable future for both manned and unmanned aviation.

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Read more:

• Supporting Complex Firefighting Operations: Ciconia’s Coordination and Collision Avoidance System Tested on Manned Helicopters
• Ground-Based Detect and Avoid Facilitates FAA BVLOS Waiver at Michigan Test Site
• Detecting Cooperative and Noncooperative Drones: Iris Automation and Sagetech Avionics Partner