Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine September 2016 - 6
Feature Article:
DOI. No. 10.1109/MAES.2016.150128
Flight Test and Evaluation of a Prototype Sense and
Avoid System Onboard a ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft
Michael Wilson, Daniel Ryan, Boeing Research and Technology, Australia, Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia
Dmitry Bratanov, Alexander Wainwright, Jason Ford, Queensland University of
Technology, Brisbane Airport, Queensland, Australia
Lennon Cork, Michael Brouckaert, Insitu Pacific Pty Ltd, Alderley, Queensland,
Australia
INTRODUCTION
For over 100 years manned aviation has been based on pilots
seeing and avoiding other aircraft. During this time aviation has
evolved to a point where there were 37.4 million commercial
flights scheduled in 2014 [1]. The national airspace system (NAS)
of each country is a complex system-of-systems involving air traffic control, a network of navigation and communication facilities,
airports, controlled and uncontrolled airspace, and the associated
rules and regulations for each part of this system. It is into this system that we are now introducing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
for commercial and civilian applications.
Unmanned aircraft are available in a wide variety of shapes and
sizes and also have a similarly wide range of capabilities (see [2]
for example). The inability of an unmanned aircraft to sense and
avoid (SAA)1 other aircraft is, however, one of the main obstacles
to the routine and regular use of UAS for commercial and civil applications in nonsegregated civilian airspace [3]-[5]. The aim of an
SAA system is to provide a means of complying with the regulatory requirement to "see and avoid" other aircraft.
There are a number of technology alternatives for SAA, which
include traditional sensors such as radar and newer technologies
such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B)
1
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) uses the term Detect And Avoid (DAA) [38].
Authors' addresses: M. Wilson, D. Ryan, Boeing Research &
Technology - Australia, Level 7, 150 Charlotte St., Brisbane,
Queensland 4001, Australia. E-mail: (michael.wilson@boeing.com). D. Bratanov, A. Wainwright, J. Ford, Queensland
University of Technology, Australian Research Centre for
Aerospace Automation, 22-24 Boronia Road, Brisbane Airport,
Queensland 4008, Australia. L. Cork, M. Brouckaert, Insitu
Pacific Pty Ltd, 95 Mina Parade, Alderley Queensland 4051,
Australia.
Manuscript received July 14, 2015; revised February 8, 2016;
ready for publication February 15, 2016.
Review handled by D. Maroney.
0885/8985/16/$26.00 © 2016 IEEE
6
[6]. Electro-Optical (EO) cameras are small, low power, and relatively lightweight. These characteristics make passive EO sensors
suitable for small UAS, where there are severe restrictions on the
size, weight, and power (SWaP) available onboard the aircraft.
One forecast suggests that while the market for unmanned aircraft for commercial and civilian applications is currently small,
it promises to be one of the fastest growing segments in the next
decade [7]. This growth emphasises the need for SAA technology. Small UAS, defined in the United States as having a take-off
weight of less than 25 kg (55 lb), are also thought to have the most
immediate commercial viability [7].
Project ResQu developed unmanned aircraft technologies in
order to create a more RESilient QUeensland.2 Project ResQu undertook the safety studies and developed the automated safety technologies necessary to enable the timely approval of unmanned aircraft operations for disaster recovery as well as routine surveys for
biosecurity and resource management. One aim of Project ResQu
was to develop and flight-test an SAA system for the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft. The restrictive SWaP requirements of small UAS
provided our main challenge in the migration of an SAA system
from a Cessna 172R to a ScanEagle unmanned aircraft.
The ultimate aim of an SAA system is to enable the integration
of an unmanned aircraft into the NAS so that the UAS can be used
routinely and regularly for commercial and civilian applications.
Demonstrating SAA technology and quantifying its performance
are important steps towards SAA's ultimate aim. We believe that
the flight test and evaluation (FT&E) results presented in this article represent a world first: real-time SAA demonstrated onboard
a small unmanned aircraft in nonsegregated civilian airspace.
SAA FLIGHT TEST AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS
OVERVIEW
This section describes the systems involved in the FT&E of the
prototype SAA system. An overview of these systems is shown in
2
Queensland is the second-largest and third-most-populous state in Australia.
IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2016
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