NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Strategy & Arctic Collaboration

1. NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Strategy& Arctic Collaboration “Alaska is our aircraft carrier in the Arctic!” John “JC” Coffey NOAA UAS Program Office 10 September 2013

2. Purpose and Outline • NOAA UAS Strategic Vision and Roadmap • Arctic Missions & Future • Challenges & Success!

3. Unmanned FlightIt is not new!!! • 1862 Balloons (manned) used to survey Civil War battlefields • 1903 Wright Brothers manned flight • 1923 First radio controlled flight • 1944 First use of a cruise missile in combat • 1946 First UAV used in the science research role • 1959 First UAV used in the reconnaissance role • 1998 First trans-Atlantic crossing by an unmanned aircraft (Aerosonde) • First trans-Pacific crossing by an unmanned aircraft • (Global Hawk) • 2013 Balloon used to survey Central Park, NY • (Digital Design & Imaging Services)

4. Concept of OperationsWhy Unmanned Systems? • Dirty, Dull, Dangerous, Denied • Efficient, Effective, Economical & Environmentally Friendly • Prolific because: • Command and Control improvement • Propulsion improvements • Sensor miniaturization • Remote operations • Timely operations • Economic benefits

5. NOAA UAS Strategic Vision and Goals • Vision • UAS will revolutionize NOAA observing strategies by 2015 comparable to the introduction of satellite and radar assets decades earlier • Goals • Goal 1: Increase UAS observing capacity • Goal 2: Develop high science-return UAS missions • High impact weather monitoring, • Polar monitoring • Marine monitoring • Goal 3: Transition cost-effective, operationally feasible UAS solutions into routine operations

6. NASA/NOAA ArcticGlobal Hawk UAS Missions • NASA / NOAA Global Hawk Pacific (2010) • First Global Hawk science mission • Flights spanned 12 to 85 deg N Latitudes • NOAA Corp Officer becomes first certified NASA Global Hawk pilot • NASA Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (2010) • First Global Hawk flights over tropical cyclones • Real-time data delivery • NOAA Winter Storm Pacific and Atmospheric Rivers (2011) • First operational dropsondedeployment, 177 sondes total • First dropsonde in the Arctic since 1950s • NASA Hurricane Severe Storm Sentinel (2012 – 2013) • Three-year experiment deploying 2 Global Hawks • 2011 test flight comparison of G-IV and Global Hawk dropsondes shows very good agreement • First East Coast deployment of Global Hawk • Three NOAA Corps certified pilots and maintenance crew • Dropsonde data delivered in real-time to National Hurricane Center

7. NASA Hurricane Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) Experiment • Environment Observations • Profiles of temperature, humidity, wind, and pressure (AVAPS) • Cloud top height (CPL) • Cloud top temperature and profiles of temperature and humidity (S-HIS) • Over-storm Observations • Doppler velocity, horizontal winds, and ocean surface winds (HIWRAP) • Profiles of temperature and humidity and total precipitable water (HAMSR) • Ocean surface winds and rain (HIRAD)

8. USCGC Icebreaker Healy & PUMA Mission & Science ObjectivesSept 7-23, 2013 The demonstration will utilize Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) technologies, from the USCG Icebreaking Cutter HEALY to demonstrate the ability to respond to oil spills in the Arctic. Six specific components will be evaluated including: • Unmanned Aircraft System (NOAA & University of Alaska PUMA AE UAS) • Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute SeaBEDUUV) • Oil Recovery Skimmer (National Strike Force’s Helix skimmer) • Remotely Operated Vehicle (PAC Area’s VideoRayPro 4 ROV ) • RuttarRadar system (Rutter Radar) • NOAA’s Environmental Response Management Application (NOAA)

9. USCG Icebreaker Healy ArcticMonitoring Mission

10. MIZOPEX FY13 (July 10-August 10, 2013)Science Objectives • (Goal) Fly a combination of different types of remote sensing instruments over the marginal ice zone off the North Slope, along with deploying small buoys to measure ocean conditions. • (Objectives) Assess ocean and sea ice variability during the melt season. • (Outcome) The data will be used to investigate: - Amount and distribution of heat in the ocean mixed layer - Relationships between atmospheric conditions and solar heating - Sea ice characteristics and relationships to melt rates and change - Validation and improvement of satellite-derived products for sea surface temperature, ice concentration and ice type, thickness and roughness.

11. MIZOPEX Mission LocationOliktok Point, AK Oliktok Point Alaska, Oliktok Long Range Radar Site, USAF-PAC-VNMH-13 Ice Oliktok Point

12. Issues & Barriers to Success • Unmanned Systems have been “Wildly successful!” • Plenty of issues but, “We have chosen to admire the problem.” • Issues & Barriers to Success • Privacy • FAA Regulations & Access – Airspace, Airworthiness, Quals • Program Management • Engineering, Logistics, T&E, Operations, Contracting… • Cost, Schedule, Performance, Risk, Requirement Traceability, Commonality • Administrative hurdles to cooperation & asset pooling • MOUs & IAAs • Buying data or capability (assets, personnel, infrastructure)? • Understanding utilization rates • S&T… R&D… “Three months of install and ground test for 1 Flt-Hr • Flt Hours vs On-station Hours vs Sensor Hours vs Data Hours vs Used DH

13. Success! • High Utilization Rate • FAA Airspace Access • Dangerous, Dirty, Dull, Denied • Efficient, Effective, Economical and Environmentally Friendly • Common and Pooled Assets & Operators • Logistic, Configuration Management, Training • Data Standardization, Quality, Storage and Cataloging • Overarching Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) & Scheduling • Cheaper & Greener • Autonomous • Completely • Multiple platforms controlled by single operator • Uses 10% of the fuel or “new fuels” or “no fuel”

14. Small UAS Operations FY13

15. Small UAS Operations FY14

16. Contact Information UAS Web Site: http://uas.noaa.gov/ Questions should be directed to: noaa.uas@noaa.gov Robbie Hood - NOAA UAS Program Directorrobbie.hood@noaa.gov John “JC” Coffey- NOAA UAS Program Office john.j.coffey@noaa.gov

17. DoD Recognized Challengesfor UxS • Interoperability: Across the domains of air, ground, and maritime.  • Autonomy: Mindful of manpower, affordability, operational utilities, technological developments, policy, public opinion.  • Airspace Integration: Within the National Airspace System (NAS) & International Airspace. Operating areas for all systems  • Communications: Address frequency and bandwidth availability, link security, link ranges, and network infrastructure moving toward onboard pre-processing. • Training: Joint training requirements to improved training effectiveness and efficiency.   • Propulsion and Power: More efficient and logistically supportable sources for propulsion and power.   • Manned-Unmanned (MUM) Teaming: Improve the teaming of unmanned systems with the manned force. April 2012

18. FAA in the Arctic Congress established 3 regions Arctic –“permanent areas in the Arctic where small unmanned aircraft may operate 24 hours per day for research and commercial purposes.” 2012 FAA Modernization Act –the Bering Strait –portions of the Bering Sea –and the Arctic Ocean • FAA “Arctic” defined as the U.S. zone of the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea and the Bering Sea north of the Aleutian island chain. • Test grounds for commercial UAS use to boost research and development • Certifications granted to the InsituScanEagle and AeroVironment Puma AE for Arctic Operations (limited)

19. Additional Animal Monitoring