Thales selected for Finland's Technical Research Centre's U-Space Pilot

16 July 2025

Thales has been awarded a contract by Finland's VTT to provide its UTM system, TopSky - AstraUTM, as a first step in a program to enable safe and efficient air mobility operations across Finland. The contract will include services such as UAS flight authorization, geo-awareness and network identification, and traffic information services, for seamless and secure drone operations in compliance with EU Regulation 2021/664.

The U-Space Finland* Precommercial Pilot Implementation project, part of VTT's Drolo 2 Project, aims to develop and deploy automated, secure, scalable drone systems, products, and services. This will support a range of drone applications, including logistics, agriculture, forestry, airport, and construction operations. Additionally, the project seeks to establish a robust Finnish Drolo innovation and business ecosystem, which will accelerate development and secure a competitive edge in the drone industry. The aim is for U-Space services, in accordance with European regulations, to be launched, tested, and piloted in Finland, making it one of the first countries to do so.

The Living Lab test environment, based in the Oulu region of Finland, as part of the Drolo project, is well-suited in many ways, as it combines piloting with various service needs and flight environments, such as a medium-sized international airport, seaport, inhabited island, medium-sized city center, and a 5G development center.

* U-Space Finland refers to a set of regulatory frameworks and technological solutions designed to support the safe and efficient integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, into the airspace. This concept is part of a broader European initiative aimed at facilitating drone operations, particularly in urban areas and for various applications, including delivery services, emergency response, and surveillance.

(article source: Thales / editor: Anton van Rijsbergen)