Frequentis AG: Foundation of AIRlabs Austria GmbH strengthens Austrian drone research

FREQUENTIS AIRlabs Austria

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Vienna (pta020/23.01.2020/12:37 UTC+1) January 2020 marks the official launch of AIRlabs Austria, which will create test areas in Austria for unmanned aircraft and manned passenger drones that will also benefit the global market. The contract to create the innovation laboratory was awarded to the consortium AIRlabs (Aeronautical Innovation & Research Laboratories Austria), formed at the university of applied sciences, FH JOANNEUM, in Graz in summer 2019 by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology. The consortium is made up of 25 partners, with Frequentis contributing the majority of the services, such as materials and employees, to the consortium.

Drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), are indispensable today. As their number grows it becomes increasingly more important to integrate them safely and effectively into the airspace. This brings new requirements for civil aviation, including in the areas of technology development, regulations, or new mobility concepts. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology supports the establishment and operation of test infrastructures for drones within the framework of the "Take Off" aviation programme, which is the national RTI (research, technology and innovation) programme for civil aviation. As a globally renowned system supplier for air traffic control, Frequentis will be responsible for the technical implementation of the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system as part of the project. This will be carried out in partnership with Austrian Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) Austro Control.

New innovation laboratory for autonomous flying in Austria

AIRlabs Austria is implementing a unique UAS test infrastructure through a six-stage multisite concept, which covers research and development, validation, and deployment of unmanned aircraft in a real environment across all technology levels. State-of-the-art tests such as Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) UAS missions, urban air mobility and UAS defence will be carried out across federal states. The project brings together a total of 25 renowned partners from industry, research, and other stakeholders and therefore addresses current and future requirements of research, development, and validation of UAS.

In December 2019, the "Klagenfurt Drone Hub", which forms part of the AIRlabs test areas, was opened: With an area of around 1,500 m2 and a height of ten metres, the modern research infrastructure at the University of Klagenfurt offers research teams optimum conditions for testing new technologies.

"The drone test sites allow us to view drone missions in a variety of ways under real-life conditions, for example in different weather situations or over long distances. It also gives us the opportunity to validate the safety and advantages of this technology. The constellation of AIRlabs Austria, which combines the concerns of industry, science, and the public sector in a limited liability company, represents a strong basis for Austria as a drone research location," explains Joachim Edel, Managing Director of AIRlabs Austria GmbH.

Michael Holzbauer, who manages the Frequentis part of the AIRlabs activities, adds: "AIRlabs Austria is not only focusing its efforts around its Austrian business location, it is also positioning itself internationally as a pioneer in drone research. The UAS innovation laboratory plays an important role, particularly in view of the EU UAS regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which comes into force in July 2020".
A total of over four million euros will be invested in the five-year project, two million of which will come from the Research Promotion Agency (Forschungsfördergesellschaft, FFG).

About FREQUENTIS

Frequentis, headquartered in Vienna, is an international supplier of communication and information systems for control centres with safety-critical tasks. Such 'control centre solutions' are developed and marketed by Frequentis in the business sectors Air Traffic Management (civil and military air traffic control, air defence) and Public Safety & Transport (the police, fire brigade, ambulance services, shipping, railways). As a global player, Frequentis operates a worldwide network of branches, subsidiaries and local representatives in more than 50 countries. Products and solutions from Frequentis can be found in over 30,000 operator working positions and in approximately 140 countries. Founded in 1947, Frequentis considers itself to be the global market leader in voice communication systems for air traffic control with a market share of around 30%. In addition, the Frequentis Group's AIM (aeronautical information management) and AMHS (aeronautical message handling) systems, as well as GSM-R systems for Public Transport are industry leading global solutions. The shares of Frequentis AG are traded on the Vienna and Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FQT (ISIN: ATFREQUENT09).

For more information, please visit www.frequentis.com

Brigitte Gschiegl, Director Corporate Communications, Frequentis AG,
brigitte.gschiegl@frequentis.com, Telefon: +43 1 81150-1301

Stefan Marin, Head of Investor Relations, Frequentis AG,
stefan.marin@frequentis.com, Telefon: +43 1 81150-1074

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Emitter:	Frequentis AG Innovationsstraße 1 1100 Wien Austria
Contact Person:	Stefan Marin
Phone:	+431811501074
E-Mail:	stefan.marin@frequentis.com
Website:	www.frequentis.com
ISIN(s):	ATFREQUENT09 (Share)
Stock Exchange(s):	Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Trade)
Other Stock Exchanges:	Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt