About AAM-NW and the UAS Control Center Bremen (USSP)
The challenges and solutions for the use of drones in industrial, academic and civilian areas require an orderly and coordinated use of the corresponding airspace. To make this possible, a real-world laboratory is being planned on the basis of Implementing Regulation EU 2021/664:
Initial flight routes could connect the first locations: Maritime Test Center Helgoland, Oldenburg-Hatten airfield (Hatten-UAS German Flight Center), Offshore Drone Campus Cuxhaven (ODCC).
In order to achieve this, suitable routes for drone operations require the development of appropriate infrastructure, the provision of necessary resources, as well as procedural standardization and the development of appropriate operational agreements. The future project framework provides for the cooperative involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
Nearly 200 stakeholders are already involved – further expansion is welcome.
Based on the U-Space concepts, an integrated airspace for both manned and unmanned aviation is to be created. With the support of AviaSpace Bremen, the initial steering committee is aiming to achieve safe airspace integration.
The goal of the cross-border project “U-Space North-West Germany and German Bight” is the successive development of such airspace structures, within which the operation of UAS will experience a considerable simplification and automation of coordination and an increase in safety, taking into account all relevant airspace users.
Introduction
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) generally refers to the integration of unmanned or autonomous aerial vehicles into a shared airspace alongside manned aviation. This concept envisions the ability to connect both metropolitan and rural areas quickly, safely, sustainably, and affordably — independent of existing ground-based transportation infrastructure. In rural regions in particular, smaller unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are also well-suited for specific monitoring and transport tasks.
The German Bight, along with its islands and adjacent coastal countries, offers great potential for testing unmanned aviation operations. Initial test deployments involving lower-risk missions and smaller aircraft operating beyond visual line of sight can serve as a foundation for gradually integrating these systems into existing manned aviation structures. Additionally, maritime traffic and environmental protection must be given special consideration in this region.
The gradual accumulation of operational experience through regular UAS flights allows for the ongoing testing and refinement of operational protocols, leading up to the high-level automation of flight coordination via a centralized control center. At the same time, this process fosters public and institutional trust in the emerging technology. This is the focus of the current initiative. The long-term goal is to transfer the acquired knowledge and operational procedures to higher-risk areas and missions — such as urban environments, operations involving heavier payloads, and eventually, the transport of people.
©WFB/Jens Lehmkühler
UAS Control Center Bremen (USSP)
Whether for industrial, academic, governmental, security or civil purposes, the use of drones will increase significantly in the coming years and will very likely even exceed the volume of manned aviation traffic. o manage this, central coordination centers are needed to ensure collision avoidance and to initiate appropriate separation procedures for unmanned aircraft. The EU DVO 2021/664ff provides for a USSP (USSP = U-Space Service Provider), which provides aeronautical services (e.g. flight permits and activation) digitally for drone operators. To enable the AAM-NW to contribute to the digital transformation of aviation in this sense, the establishment of a UAS control center (USSP) is planned from Bremen. This control center can protect manned aviation during urgently required missions in VLL-Airspace through real-time coordination and at the same time open up airspace usage potential for unmanned aviation.
Unmanned Aviation from Bremen
The state of Bremen is actively supporting the development and application of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within the framework of the aerospace innovation cluster Bremen Bremerhaven City of Aerospace.Significant expertise has been built in the areas of hardware and software development, aircraft design, avionics, navigation, and sensor technology. At the same time, the focus is also on UAS applications to fulfill a wide range of tasks, such as carrying out sovereign tasks in the German Bight by using drones as carriers of sensor technology or setting up ground stations for UAS. With the support of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative Northwest Germany and the German Bight and the UAS Control Center Bremen (USSP), the state of Bremen will continue to advance the development of UAS activities in close cooperation with stakeholders in Lower Saxony.
Timeline and Development Stages
All phases of the project share a common approach: the gradual development of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flight areas. The focus is on the use and integration of the Very Low-Level Airspace (VLL). Each development stage aims to ensure full situational awareness coverage of the airspace, which will be expanded progressively over time.
Mutual visibility and detectability between manned general aviation, air rescue services, public authorities, emergency organizations (BOS), and UAS (in both BVLOS and VLOS — Visual Line of Sight — operations) must be ensured, tested, and validated. These capabilities must be established through trial operations before moving into regular service.
The states of Bremen and Lower Saxony are working closely together to optimize the airspace for Advanced Air Mobility. Bremen is focusing on the development of the UAS Control Center (USSP), while Lower Saxony is expanding flight areas and the associated aviation infrastructure.
Phase 0 — 2023
Preparing the Initiative: Coordination and Inclusion of All Relevant Airspace participantsPhase 1 — 2024
VLOS Areas Hatten – German Bight Including Test Operations (Red Map Area)Phase 2 — 2024 - 2025
BVLOS Areas Cuxhaven & Helgoland Including Connection to Phase 1 and Test Operations (Blue and Green Map Areas)Phase 3 — 2026 - 2028
Expansion and Connection of Additional Airfields, such as the East Frisian Islands, Leck, and Nordholz, Including Test Operations (Yellow Map Area) “From Separation to Integration”Phase 4 — 2030
Vision: Further development within the established U-Spaces toward seamless integration with the “U4” phase of the SESAR ATM Master Plan starting from 2035.
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27.08.2025 - 29.08.2025
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From August 27 to 29, 2025, Drone Days 2025 will bring together the unmanned aviation community at Oldenburg-Hatten Airfield and in Bremen. Organized by b.r.m....
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