For the first time in Italy, an MQ-9 Predator B military drone, produced by the american General Atomics company, used the same routes normally dedicated to civil air traffic for aircraft with a pilot on board. The flight was operated yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 20 December, by a unit of the Italian Air Force, in synergy with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac). The goal is to experiment with coexistence between military drones and civil aircraft.

The experimental mission is among the first of its kind in Europe. The test involved in-depth planning of flight activities, with the involvement of all actors, to ensure the safety of air operations in compliance with the principle of flexible use of airspace. 

At an operational level, the Italian Society for Flight Assistance (Enav) and the Air Force Command have finalized a protocol for the coordination of the provision of services ensured by the military and civil air traffic controllers of Rome and Brindisi. The objective of the experiment, in fact, is the revision of the national legislation that regulates the circulation of remotely piloted military aircraft, placing Italy among the first countries capable of orienting the sector legislation.