Sense & Avoid for UAV Systems

1. Sense & Avoid for UAV Systems ASAS TN 2 Meeting, Glasgow – September 12th 2006

2. Agenda • What is a UAV System • The Sense & Avoid Function for UAV Systems • Relationship with Air Traffic Control • Potential solutions • Conclusion Aerospace

3. WHAT IS A UAV SYSTEM ? UAV AIR SEGMENT AIR VEHICLE MISSION PAYLOAD AVIONICS PROPULSION DATALINK LAUNCH & RECOVERY / TAKE OFF & LANDING SYSTEM GROUND CONTROL STATION OPERATORS UAV GROUND SEGMENT Aerospace

4. UAV Systems live in a complex world 00110011001000110 0011001100100011011101001001001110 Aerospace

5. Ground Control Station Payload operator Mission controller Aerospace

6. Applications • UAV Systems have a high probability to be developed for an increasing number of applications : • Military systems : surveillance and target designation (ISTAR), countermeasures, weapon delivery, etc... • Security : border surveillance, maritime surveillance, anti-terrorism, sensitive sites surveillance, etc... • Civil applications : forest fire detection, pollution detection, agriculture, fishing, etc... Aerospace

7. UAV Systems specificities and constraints • “No Pilot on board” implies : • Situation awareness only based on data acquired by sensors, downloaded and analysed by to the ground operator (not equivalent to a pilot) • Latency exist due to the data transfer between the Air Vehicle and the ground station (up and down) • New failure configurations : • Loss of Data Link : a sufficient level of autonomy is necessary • Sensor Failure may be critical • No pilot able to “See and Avoid” , or “Detect and Avoid” neither in VMC nor in IFR The « Sense And Avoid » function replaces the « detect and avoid » in all situations Aerospace

8. The Sense & Avoid Function • The global objective is to allow UAV Systems to operate safely within the non segregated civil and military airspace on a routinely basis. • For this purpose, the UAV must be able to identify and be identified by the surrounding traffic as well as by the ATC. • Sense & Avoid solutions must be agreed by Airworthiness and Operations authorities, and economically reasonable for Industry. • Sense and Avoid solutions are a must for UAV Systems, but may lead to benefits for manned aircraft safety. Aerospace

9. Regulation approach • Demonstrate an Equivalent Level of Safety between manned and unmanned aircraft • Make the difference between manned and unmanned aircraft transparent to ATC and to other users • However, UAV have specific characteristics to be known by ATC Aerospace

10. Basic needs for Sense & Avoid • Sense & Avoid should basically offer the capability • To provide traffic awareness to the pilot / operator • To perform avoidance manoeuvre in case of high collision risk • Traffic awareness : • Co-operative traffic • Surrounding traffic carrying “Off the shelf” equipment enabling exchanges, like Transponders Mode S, or emerging technologies like ASAS/ADS-B • Non co-operative traffic • Air vehicles not fitted with such equipment : general aviation, gliders, balloons, parachutes, ... • Then the solution should need new sensors to replace visual acquisition • Avoidance manoeuvre : • Safety net to be performed timely, based on traffic information and if possible shared decisions • Typical current answer is the TCAS Aerospace

11. Additional needs • A global situation awareness system should also include : • Terrain awareness • TAWS are mandatory on most of the aircraft • Terrain collision avoidance is also a need, in UAV Systems, for safety of on ground population • Weather awareness • The on-ground pilot must also be aware of weather threats (precipitations, windshears, …) in order to avoid hazardous situations • Global situation awareness should be equivalent for manned and unmanned aircraft Aerospace

12. Mode S #2 to TCAS #1 • I am aircraft #2 • I am at 29 000 ft • TCAS #1 to Mode S #2 • Who are you? • What is your altitude? • Mode S #1 to TCAS #2 • I am aircraft #1 • I am at 27 000 ft -08 Existing co-operative technology : TCAS II Climb ! • Automatic Modes must be introduced • Safety Case to be developed Aerospace

13. Non co-operative technologies • Technologies available for Non Co-operative traffic : • Light, medium range radars • All weather recognition of other traffic by UAV • Transfer of traffic information to Ground Operator • Retasking by Ground Operator • Automatic retasking ? • EO/IR techniques • Specific EO cameras: low cost solution • Can be improved by IR • Why not use EO/IR payload when available (en route) ? • Flight Tests / Simulations must be performed • Safety Case to be developed • Non co-operative technologies should complement co-operative Aerospace

14. Emerging technologies • ASAS / ADS-B may be useful for UAV Systems : • ADS-B OUT : transfer of information (location, speed, UAV identification...) from UAV to other users and ATC • ADS-B IN : Improved traffic situational awareness for UAV operators • If possible in the future : 4D trajectories exchange • Potential delegation of specific spacing tasks to UAV Operators, like: • Sequencing and Merging • TIS-B (Traffic Information Services – Broadcast) • ground station may broadcast aircraft information gathered by various means • Civil aviation emerging technologies may provide anticipated and consolidated situation awareness to UAV operators Aerospace

15. STRATEGIC AWARENESS TACTICAL AWARENESS Management of potential hazards: • Terrain • Traffic • Weather Alerts on threats • Terrain • Traffic • Weather Potential Sense & Avoid solutions • Technologies • Technologies exist to provide a Sense & Avoid system for UAV • A mix of co-operative and non co-operative techniques is likely to be necessary • ASAS / ADS-B techniques seem promising for Sense & Avoid • Final system • Should provide a global situation awareness to UAV Operators in any configuration of traffic Automatic Alert to Ground Operator Managed by Ground Operator & ATC REACTIVE MODES Safety Net Aerospace

16. Conclusion • UAV Systems are newcomers in the Air Traffic • ADS-B / ASAS techniques may be a good answer to Sense & Avoid issues for UAV Systems, and need to be analysed as such • Consequently, UAV Systems may be potential actors within the ADS-B / ASAS world and may have to exchange information with other users and ATC • Developments made for UAV Systems (automatic modes, enhanced situation awareness, ...) might reciprocally be beneficial to other civil aviation applications. Aerospace