vigilant-aerospace-detect-and-avoid-system-for-air-force-drones – DRONELIFE

New Project for Air Force Research Lab

Last October, Vigilant Aerospace began a major project for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop a detect and avoid (DAA) system for long-duration drones. Funded by an SBIR Phase II contract, the project aims to create a system for both military and civilian use. Vigilant Aerospace’s product, FlightHorizon PILOT, is designed to make airspace safer for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

Mission and Technology

The primary goal of the project is to “integrate a mature sense and avoid capability onto an existing long-flight UAS platform, Group V, to enhance operational awareness of the aircraft and pilot in the loop.” This integration leverages new and evolving C-SWaP sensors and sensor fusion software.

Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace, stated, “Because the FlightHorizon system was designed by NASA for UAS aircraft tracking and safety needs and has now been adapted for the commercial market by Vigilant Aerospace, this AFRL opportunity allows us to leverage our existing products and expertise, as well as our significant investment in multi-sensor integration and algorithms, to easily meet AFRL’s design goals and quickly introduce new capabilities to the U.S. Air Force.”

FlightHorizon PILOT is an onboard detection and avoidance system for drones. It collects sensor data, detects nearby aircraft, and issues collision avoidance commands. These commands are compliant with the FAA ACAS X collision avoidance standards. The system also provides the remote pilot with air traffic alerts and situational awareness. Its platform-agnostic design means it can be installed on a variety of military and civilian aircraft and use a wide range of sensors. It complies with RTCA DO-365C and DO-366 technical standards, ensuring broad applicability.

Progress and achievements

Significant progress has been made in the development and testing of the FlightHorizon PILOT product. The system has been tested with multiple radars operating simultaneously. This allows for a wide field of view of air traffic and meets industry technical standards for airborne detection and avoidance. Radar frequency channeling has been tested to ensure that multiple radars can operate without interference.

The system integrates with a variety of ground control stations (GCSs), including the open source Ardupilot and other commonly used systems. Vigilant Aerospace has implemented the software on a variety of low SWaP (space, weight, and power) computers, providing the ability to install it on a variety of aircraft. The system can operate in either a pilot-in-the-loop or pilot-on-the-loop model, providing flexibility in command execution.

Military Need for Detection and Avoidance Systems

Detect-and-avoid technology is key as the military deploys thousands of autonomous vehicles and aircraft. The U.S. military currently operates more than 11,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) for training and overseas missions. They range from small RQ-11B Ravens to large RQ/MQ-4 Global Hawk/Triton aircraft. Currently, UASs must obtain a Certificate of Exemption or Authorization (COA) from the FAA to fly in civilian airspace.

Adopting detection and avoidance systems like FlightHorizon PILOT can improve collision avoidance, increase autonomy, and provide better situational awareness. This improves integration with civilian air traffic control, leading to faster authorizations and safer transits. Better integration of unmanned aircraft into domestic airspace can also increase U.S. competitiveness.

Epperson emphasized the importance of the project, saying, “This is an important project in terms of fully integrating FlightHorizon into a broader range of aircraft, which is critical to future industry adoption and implementation of this technology. It was also a very successful collaboration, with support from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Air Force and the Air Force Research Lab.”

Future Civilian Implications and Applications

In addition to military needs, the development of FlightHorizon PILOT will benefit the civilian Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market. According to Aviation Week, there will be 2,000 commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles by 2030, rising to 33,000 by 2050. Companies like Archer Aviation are preparing to produce 650 aircraft per year.

Epperson stated, “This project gives Vigilant the insight and expertise necessary to integrate our dual-use product into multiple aircraft systems and ground control stations, improving the availability of this critical safety system not only for multiple military users, but also helps us prepare to meet anticipated demand for this technology from the civilian advanced air mobility industry.”

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the Department of the Air Force’s primary research and development center, playing a key role in developing cost-effective warfighting technologies for air, space, and cyberspace forces.