SCAN is a three-year (2026-2029) SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Wave 2 project coordinated by EUROCONTROL with the involvement of 20 partner organisations. It assesses and develops communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) solutions to support the safe integration of higher airspace operations (HAO) into the air traffic management system.
The project addresses the CNS needs of new entrants including fixed-wing and airship-type high-altitude platform systems (HAPS), stratospheric balloons and supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.
SCAN combines technical and operational assessments with high-altitude flight trials. Working with HAPS operators flying both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air platforms, and with a sounding rocket launch, SCAN will collect CNS data in flight and use the resulting evidence to support the development of resilient network architectures, security frameworks, standards and regulatory guidance for operations in higher airspace.
SCAN Project Objectives
Technology assessment
The assessment builds on European and international research, regulatory work and operational experience.
It covers communication, from VHF, HF and SATCOM to connected aircraft technologies; navigation, including multi-frequency multi-constellation GNSS receivers leveraging Galileo differentiators, inertial systems and celestial navigation; and surveillance, including network remote ID and satellite-based ADS-B.
Attention is given to resilient positioning and to the safe use of geometric and barometric altitude information in higher airspace.
High-altitude flight trials
Three complementary HAPS campaigns will test CNS technologies on lighter-than-air (Sceye airship) and heavier-than-air (Elson Space and Skydweller) platforms operating from Spain, including Teruel and Fuerteventura.
The scope of each campaign will be tailored to the approvals granted by the competent aviation authorities, considering applicable EASA and national regulatory guidance to enable the safe and proportionate conduct of HAO.
In addition, a prototype modified ADS-B transponder will be tested on a Mapheus sounding rocket in Kiruna, Sweden. The trial will provide evidence on surveillance performance at extreme altitude and under high-dynamic conditions, complementing the HAPS validation campaigns.
Project Partners
EUROCONTROL, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS), Luftfartsverket (LFV), European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), NATS, Direction des Services de la Navigation Aérienne (DSNA), SkyNav Europe, École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), Linköpings Universitet (LIU), C.I.R.A. Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali SCPA (CIRA), Sceye, SkyDweller Canarias, SkyDweller, Parque Tecnológico de Fuerteventura (PTFUE), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Elson Space España, PILDOLABS, ENAIRE, OpenUTM, ANRA Technologies, Skypuzzler, HAPS Alliance
