SBIR-STTR Award

Without the capability to sense and avoid other air traffic, UAS flights are limited to flight operations within restricted and warning areas unless the proponent obtains a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA Order 7610.4 states that remotely operated aircraft must have an equivalent level of safety, comparable to see-and-avoid requirements for manned aircraft, to fly in the national air space. DRA’s SAA system uses passive electro-optic (EO) sensors and associated processing to detect, track and alert on those aircraft that appear to be on a collision course. The EO system does not provide accurate range information on approaching aircraft. Without accurate range, the UAS may maneuver earlier or more aggressively than necessary. Range provides the benefit of performing less aggressive maneuvers. In addition, in the presence of multiple aircraft in the local air traffic, range allows the SAA system to prioritize the intruding aircraft, and aid in the selection of the most appropriate maneuver. This project will explore the feasibility of adding laser radar (LADAR) capability to the existing EO-based system as an alternative to the significant Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints associated with the traditional method of ranging, radar.

Benefit:
Potential Commercial Applications of the Research or Development The Phase I SBIR results will show the feasibility of adding a LADAR capability to the existing SAA system. These benefits include, range and closing rate information, as well as confirmation of aircraft presence (or rejection of false alarms). This capability will be further developed and demonstrated on a prototype under Phase II.

Keywords:
Sensor, Visible, Ladar, Sense And Avoid, Optical, Unmanned Aircraft, Range, Range Rate

Without the capability to sense and avoid other air traffic, UAS flights are limited to flight operations within restricted and warning areas unless the proponent obtains a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA Order 7610.4 states that remotely operated aircraft must have an equivalent level of safety, comparable to see-and-avoid requirements for manned aircraft, to fly in the national air space. DRA’s SAA system, addresses this requirement usong passive electro-optic (EO) sensors to detect, track and alert on aircraft that appear on a collision course. The EO system does not provide accurate range information.. Without accurate range, the UAS may maneuver earlier or more aggressively than necessary. Range information can correct this problem.. In addition, with multiple aircraft in the area, range and range rate allow the SAA system to prioritize intruding aircraft, and to select the best maneuver. The LADAR can also provide other information to reduce the false alarm rate. The DRA Team will develop and demonstrate a prototype LADAR-Enhanced EO SAA System (LEOS). to show the benefits of adding an active, interrogating component to the passive EO SAA system.

Benefit:
Potential Commercial Applications of the Research or Development The DRA Team’s Phase II solution provides the following advantages and benefits. 1) Enabling technology for UAS access to the NAS, 2) Low SWaP, compact system compatible with the large UAS down to the tactical-sized UAS, 3) Low FAR SAA System, 4) Longer declaration range, 5) More information available to generate more timely, less aggressive avoidance maneuvers.

Keywords:
Sensor, Visible, Ladar, Sense And Avoid, Optical, Unmanned Aircraft, Range, Range Rate