The revolution of drones

Our board of recommendation advises us on strategic issues which are in the interest of the sector, the general public and Amsterdam Drone Week. This week we spoke to Massimo Garbini, CEO of IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi S.p.A., about his vision on the drone industry and the upcoming developments within IDS.

Amsterdam Drone Week: Can you shortly introduce yourself and the company you run?

Massimo Garbini: Since January this year I assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi S.p.A. I previously served as the sole Director of ENAV from 2011 to 2014, having originally joined the Italian air navigation service provider as an air traffic controller in 1991. I was also the Chairman of CANSO Europe as well as a member of the CANSO Executive Committee and was also President and CEO of Techno Sky, an ENAV S.p.A. company.

From October 2014 until the end of 2017, I operated as the Managing Director of SESAR Deployment Manager, the body charged by the European Commission to coordinate and synchronize the SESAR Deployment Programme, which aims to develop SESAR technology and the implementation of the Single European Sky. IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi S.p.A. (www.idscorporation.com) is an independent engineering and systems technologies company, providing research, innovation and products in the unmanned, electromagnetic, defense and homeland security, railways safety and air navigation fields, for both civilian and defense applications. Since 1980 IDS has specialized in providing consulting services for high-tech engineering projects and in developing integrated software solutions and measurement systems. IDS is an international company with over 600 professional employees. Its headquarters are in Pisa, Italy, with subsidiary companies in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and South Korea. The company has six business: the Air Navigation Division, the Electromagnetic Engineering Division, the Aeronautical and Unmanned Systems Division, the Security & Defense Division, the Railways & Safety Division and SATCOM Division. Proprietary software tools are developed, documented and maintained according to ISO 9001:2015, and in the case of the Aeronautical and Unmanned Systems Division AS/EN 9100:2016, ESA and Defense Administration quality and security standards.

Amsterdam Drone Week: What is your vision when it comes to the use of UAV’s in both the civil and defense sector, between now and the UPCOMING 5 years (opportunities versus challenges)?

Massimo Garbini: Drones are part of our present and they also will be part of our future. Rapid changes in drone technology requires a step-change in the way airspace is managed.
Thus, there will be a move from several thousand conventional aircrafts in the sky every day to potentially hundreds of thousands of highly connected and automated aerial vehicles, offering advanced data-driven services and operating everywhere, including in cities.
Transforming infrastructure to support such operations will be critical to harnessing the potential of the sector, unlocking market growth, jobs and services to worldwide citizens.

Amsterdam Drone Week: What are your short and long-term goals in terms of working with UAVs?

Massimo Garbini: IDS, is investing in the Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems - RPAS, Unmanned Traffic Management - UTM technology and radar solutions, with the aim to exploit new applications and increase aviation safety.
IDS offers a carefully integrated 360 degree approach through its certified solutions that guarantee both cost and time optimization.
In relation to this, IDS’s main focus on the unmanned market, defense market, civil protection, homeland security and transportation is synonymous with certification, liability and safety.
Regarding the number of drones, a 2016 report by Gartner estimates that by 2020, there will be ten times as many commercial drones than manned aircraft. This would mean about 230,480 commercially operated drones around the globe in 2020.

Unmanned aviation technological developments are currently moving at a faster pace than the manned aviation and this rapid growth has increased the demand for drone technology safety. The objective of IDS is to become a worldwide leader in designing and developing high technology solutions for defense and civil markets in the fields of unmanned and surveillance systems.
The highly skilled work force is fully motivated to meeting customer needs and to guaranteeing stakeholders that IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi will grow from strength to strength, increasing the company’s market position.

Amsterdam Drone Week: In what way do you think drone technology & innovations change the world?

Massimo Garbini: The recent and rapid growth of unmanned system is an early identifier of the impending industrial revolution.
This extension of the digital revolution involves the fusion of technologies and it is generating the technological capabilities to conceptualise and manufacture radically different airborne vehicles, to tailor them to very specific missions, take advantage of the economies of scale from standardised building blocks and integrate drones within existing air transport systems. As a result, use cases that were either impossible or economically unsustainable for human-piloted aircraft are becoming now technically possible and economically feasible.
The revolution is characterised by a fusion of technologies and accelerates the speed, scope and system level impact.
This is particularly obvious with the accelerated development of drones and the associated rate of development of related operating systems.

In the recently published report “(Un)certain Skies? Drones in the World of Tomorrow”, you'll find more information about the role of drones as part of the future of transport. The report specifically addresses the issues policy makers face in engaging with the rapidly emerging private drone sector.