Unmanned Systems Technology 004 | Delair-Tech DT18 | Autopilots | Rotron RT600 | Unmanned surface vehicles | AMRC | Motion control | Batteries

7 Platform one Unmanned Systems Technology | Autumn 2015 A group of mainly US organisations is developing a traffic management system for unmanned aerial craft to enable the accelerated development of civilian applications. Currently there is no established infrastructure to enable and safely manage the widespread use of low- altitude airspace for unmanned aerial operations, regardless of the type of aircraft. The US Federal Aviation Administration has yet to propose rules to govern the use of commercial robotic aircraft, but predicts that 7500 unmanned craft weighing up to 25 kg will be operating in the US by 2018.  The system, the first version of which is called UTM1, will provide services such as airspace design, air corridors, route planning and re-routing, separation management, and sequencing and spacing. This will be achieved by a combination of ground-based internet systems, secure comms and detailed control of the unmanned craft. A key attribute of the system is that it will not need human operators to monitor every vehicle continuously. Initially it will provide managers with the data to make strategic decisions related to initiation, continuation and termination of airspace operations. This approach will be rolled out in the next five years. Later, in the next ten to 15 years, the system will include self-configuration, self-optimisation and self-protection. The project’s leader, NASA, sees two types of system. The first would move between geographical areas and support operations such as precision agriculture, while the second would support low-altitude operations and provide continuous coverage for a single area. By 2019, UTM1 will create, analyse and manage the trajectories of craft, with a focus on geo-fencing, altitude ‘rules of the road’ and scheduling of vehicle trajectories. The second version, UTM2, will enable increased density and contingency management, and add an internet interface, while a third, UTM3, will manage separation by vehicle and/or ground-based capabilities under higher densities. The final build, UTM4, will manage large-scale contingencies. Civil UAVs system on horizon Air traffic control The US Federal Aviation Administration is working with traffic control software developer PrecisionHawk on a project called Pathfinder to test transponders on aircraft as well as LATAS (Low Altitude Tracking and Avoidance System) traffic management ground- based hardware and software. The tracking system can work with any UAV platform to provide safe operations beyond visual line-of-sight in low-risk, ‘non-populated’ test areas such as farmland. CEO of PrecisionHawk Christopher Dean said, “For the commercial UAV industry to achieve its maximum technological and economic potential, we need to test reliable hardware and software solutions that will address safety. We also need to provide the data that will prove that reliability to regulators and the public.” FAA administrator Michael Huerta said, “Even as we pursue our current rule-making effort for small unmanned aircraft, we must continue to actively look for future ways to expand non- recreational UAV uses. This new initiative will help us anticipate and address the needs of the evolving UAV industry.” Project aims to track safe paths for commercial craft The UTM system will handle airspace parameters such as dynamic geo-fencing, terrain avoidance and separation management