SIDDA - Sustainable Intermodal Drone Delivery Airline
South Westphalia is heavily industrialized and relies on fast, reliable supply chains. However, infrastructural bottlenecks, traffic congestion and increasing climate protection requirements - such as stricter emission limits, CO₂ pricing, sustainability reports and the increased use of low-emission means of transport - pose additional technical, organizational and financial challenges for logistics. At the same time, new approaches such as the use of drones, micro-hubs and digital airspace services open up great potential, but so far without a consistent overall concept. This is precisely where the SIDDA research project comes in.
Why a drone network?
At the start of the project, there was no integrated system that combined automated drones, mobile and stationary micro-hubs and intelligent route and network planning in a single approach. SIDDA aims to close this gap and develop an automated, sustainable drone network for time-critical industrial deliveries. It aims to increase regional supply security, alleviate traffic bottlenecks, create climate-friendly transport routes and strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in the region. At the same time, the project is laying the foundations for uniform Europe-wide standards in U-Space, the digital airspace for drone services.
A holistic technological approach
SIDDA combines several future technologies: an intermodal drone network connects stationary and mobile micro-hubs - small decentralized logistics hubs that serve as transshipment points for goods - with automated drone airlines. In addition, European U-Space requirements are integrated so that drones can fly safely and in a coordinated manner. Models for optimized route planning support efficient decisions, while simulations depict different traffic and delivery profiles. At the same time, the project is investigating the ecological, economic and social impact of drone operations. Initial foundations such as system architecture, hub requirements and data models have already been developed.
Concrete benefits for the region, state and Europe
SIDDA already offers tangible prospects today: Companies in South Westphalia will be able to be supplied more reliably and faster in future, while road traffic will be noticeably relieved. A technological beacon is being created in the region that will strengthen the SME sector. SIDDA can serve as a model for how drone logistics can be safely integrated into existing structures. Across Europe, the project provides important impetus for common standards in drone technology and demonstrates how EU funding enables local innovation.
Outlook: From prototypes to real applications
From 2025, the first static and mobile micro-hubs will be created, tested and integrated into simulation models. In 2026, field tests and network optimizations will be carried out, supplemented by sustainability analyses. In 2027, the overall system will be evaluated and recommendations for action will be drawn up for industry, authorities and European partners. Thanks to its modular architecture and EU-oriented development, SIDDA has great potential to be used in other regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, across Germany and throughout Europe.
