The Aerial Research Platform (PAI) consists of an aircraft of new manufacture, with the necessary structural modifications to equip it with instrumentation and sensors, work areas for operators and specific equipment for the acquisition and treatment of data. Specifically, this aeronautical research platform will cover the following technological objectives:
- In-flight testing. Tests relating to aeronautical systems and equipment such as aerodynamic surfaces, structures, sensors, actuators etc.
- Atmospheric research. Study of the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere from data obtained by sensors: gas composition, pressure, temperature, etc.
- Remote sensing with aerial sensors. conducting remote sensing data acquisition campaigns with on-board sensors and equipment such as thermal cameras, hyperspectral cameras, radars, etc.
- Developments of new technologies. The Project will provide the appropriate means for the development in implementation of new technologies for specific aeronautical use and application to other areas, for example, in the area of structural damage monitoring.
In addition, the aerial research platform will be available to offer advanced training to future researchers in the field of Earth Sciences whose studies require geospatial data acquired from the air for different uses: agriculture, geology, atmosphere, inland waters, marine environment, etc. This new INTA infrastructure will have its base of operations in Andalusia, specifically in the new facilities of CEUS (UAV Experimentation Center).
Execution and results
On July 4, 2023, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) presented the new Aerial Research Platform (PAI), an action that is included in the Strategic Project for Aerospace Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) and that is co-financed with FEDER funds, in the context of an action regulated by agreement between INTA and the CDTI.
This platform, which is part of the call for public Scientific-Technological Initiatives of the CDTI, consists of an AIRBUS C295 aircraft manufactured in Spain, adapted for the collection of flight test data, atmospheric and environmental research, as well as remote sensing and observation of the Earth.
The IAP will facilitate testing and experimentation activities for research centres such as INTA, the CSIC and all those national and European centres, as well as companies, that want to carry out campaigns for in-flight instrument testing or to carry out experimental flights.