Development of a RPV- Demonstrator for ATM research

DLR has developed a plan for modifying one of its test aircraft into a new RPV Inflight Testbed.The objectives were to create a demonstrator for integration of RPV in to civil airspace as well as a technology demonstrator for RPV systems. In the end, the modified test aircraft shall perform as a research platform. One of the major requirements of the modification was to allow the new remote control capabilities while keeping the full mission spectrum of the test. The result of the development will be a flexible research platform for RPV technologies. The paper provides an overview about the general setup of the proposed RPV demonstration platform and describes its operational and safety concept. The currently planned scientific applications of the RPV demonstration platform will be addressed.