The General Aviation Manufacturers Association supports Amazon’s advocacy for allowing unmanned aerial vehicle radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2210200058), said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-264. “GAMA recognizes the importance of allowing for the use of 60 GHz band unlicensed devices on-board aircraft, to include drones while airborne, as an enabler for UAS commercial package delivery operations,” the group said. Members believe field disturbance sensor (FDS) devices operating in the 60 GHz band “will not cause harmful interference to other spectrum users,” GAMA said: “Radar devices in this frequency range operate at a relatively low EIRP (equivalent isotropic radiated power), the nearest frequency band that is used on aircraft is 24 GHz, and there [is] existing communications equipment using this same band at the same power where no harmful interference has been observed.”

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, the Commercial Drone Alliance and the Small UAV Coalition jointly supported Amazon’s calls for allowing unmanned aerial vehicle radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2210200058). “We all work closely with users across the whole drone delivery ecosystem and support the authorization of the use of unlicensed field disturbance sensor (FDS) devices onboard drones in the 60 GHz band,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264. “As with most aviation safety systems, redundancy is a best practice, so FDS with both horizontal and vertical transmission would provide the most benefit and risk reduction,” the groups said: “This enhances drone safety, reducing the risk to both people and property in the air and on the ground, which is clearly in the public interest.”

Amazon told FCC Wireless Bureau staff it's important to allow low-flying drone radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2210200058), said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-264. “Amazon explained that the Commission should enable innovative radar applications for near ground drone operations in the 60-64 GHz band because they are similar to other non-airborne 60 GHz devices currently allowed under the Commission’s rules,” Amazon said: “Amazon also discussed how the unique characteristics of innovative 60 GHz radar technologies would enhance the safety of drone operations in the U.S. by improving a drone’s ability to sense and avoid persons and obstacles in and near its path without causing harmful interference to other spectrum users.”

Amazon made its case for allowing low-flying drone radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2210200058), in a call with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-264. “The purpose of the Near Surround Detection radar for the Prime Air delivery drone is to provide additional awareness to our existing autonomous system when operating within close proximity (approximately 2-5 meters) to obstacles such as trees, flagpoles, and power lines during delivery,” Amazon said: “The Near Surround Detect radar will be used primarily to provide proximity detection in a horizontal plane where there are no existing sensors during ascent/descent, and to provide a second, independent sensing modality above and below the drone to detect corner case obstacles that the primary optical sensing mode may have missed.”

Low-flying drone radars aren't an interference risk for incumbents and should be allowed in the 60 GHz band, Amazon said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-264. “The Commission should formally recognize that new drone use cases conducted near ground level differ greatly from traditional commercial aviation use cases,” Amazon said: “A drone package delivery operating near ground level operates much more like a last-mile delivery truck than a cargo plane. The current one-size-fits-all standard fails to account for these unique differences, and the rules and restrictions specifically tailored to traditional commercial aviation should not apply to drone operations near ground level.”

Amazon spoke with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington on the use of the 60 GHz band by drones. Amazon discussed “how the unique characteristics of innovative 60 GHz radar technologies would enhance the safety of drone operations in the U.S. and promote the public interest,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264. Amazon supports “authorizing the use of unlicensed field disturbance sensor devices onboard drones in the 60 GHz band,” which would “enhance the drone’s ability to sense and avoid persons and obstacles in and near its ascent and descent path, thereby improving aviation safety.”

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has circulated for a vote by commissioners an NPRM seeking comment on rule revisions tied to the need of operators of unmanned aircraft systems for licensed spectrum, agency officials confirmed. The FCC has looked at the issue in the past. It initially took comment on use of the of 5030-5091 MHz band by drones in 2019, at the request of the Aerospace Industries Association (see 1912270039). Last year, the Wireless Bureau took additional comments as part of a record refresh (see 2110130044). The docket created, RM-11798, has been slow with only eight filings so far this year. In one of the most recent filings on the topic, Qualcomm urged the FCC to set aside 20 MHz in the band, “which drones will use to communicate directly with one another to coordinate safe and efficient flights and also for drones to broadcast Remote ID information in compliance with FAA regulations,” and two 20.5 MHz blocks “licensed exclusively to support network communications through which drones will communicate via cellular networks for Control and Non-Payload Communications.” The record “demonstrates that there is a range of UAS spectrum needs and reinforces the support for the Commission to take timely actions to meet those needs,” said Aviation Spectrum Resources.

Amazon underscored safety in a Friday blog post outlining plans for its drone delivery service that's to launch this year in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas (see 2206130024). The electric drones are designed to deliver sub-five-pound packages to customers in under an hour. To ensure safe delivery, the company used aerospace standards for a robust drone design and employed a “sense-and-avoid system” that detects and avoids obstacles in the air and on the ground, such as other aircraft and people and pets in backyards, it said. “Our drone can encounter new, unexpected situations and still make safe decisions -- autonomously and safely,” Amazon said. If the environment changes, and the drone’s mission commands it to come into contact with an object that wasn’t there previously, “it will refuse.” Amazon is creating an automated drone-management system to plan flight paths and ensure safe distances between aircraft and other aircraft in the area “and that we’re complying with all aviation regulations,” it said. The company has been working on the drone delivery technology for over a decade with a team of safety, aerospace, science, robotics, software, hardware, testing and manufacturing experts “to ensure our system meets the rigors required for an aerospace product,” it said. The company tests its drones in private and controlled facilities and has logged thousands of flight hours, putting them through “rigorous testing” and evaluation in accordance with regulatory requirements, it said. In the past two years of testing, Amazon has made over 188 updates to its system, including for noise and equipment ergonomics, it said. Amazon got an FAA part 135 air carrier certificate, giving it authorization to operate as an airline and deliver small packages via drone, it noted. As part of the process, it submitted over 500 safety and efficiency processes that it will use to conduct deliveries later this year in California and Texas, it said.

AT&T is testing the use of drones as flying cells on wheels, with the initial launch at a field in rural Missouri, it said Thursday. “We had [an] intermittent, weak LTE signal at the flight location before we launched the 5G Flying COW,” said Ethan Hunt, AT&T unmanned aircraft systems principal program manager. “We flew the drone up to about 300 feet, turned on the signal and it began transmitting strong 5G coverage to approximately 10 square miles,” he said. AT&T is considering using drones that could stay in the air for months using solar power.

Amazon urged flexibility, including the use of the spectrum by drones, as the FCC considers revised rules for short-range radars in the 60 GHz band, the topic of a July NPRM (see 2107130066), in a call with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “Amazon expressed support for the Commission’s work to facilitate the manufacture and use of innovative radar technologies in the 60 GHz band while enabling reasonable coexistence between unlicensed communications and radar technologies operating in the band,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-264: “To ensure the 60 GHz band reaches its full potential, the Commission should decline to impose rules, as suggested by some parties, that would favor particular unlicensed technologies at the expense of other promising technologies.”