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Unmanned Aircraft in Civil Airspace: Challenges and Opportunities By Robert Boetig and Matthew DeGarmo Originally developed for military applications, most unmanned aircraft were built with high-risk applications and environments in mind. Little, if any, consideration was given to making these aircraft suitable for flights in a mature civil aviation system—one controlled and monitored by sophisticated systems and governed by a rigorous regulatory structure. For their part, aviation authorities have not, until recently, focused on unmanned aircraft. To date, they've been treated largely as special cases. This disconnect between unmanned aircraft's historical roots and present needs has created a major challenge. Increasing numbers of civil government, homeland security, and law enforcement organizations are finding uses for these versatile and effective aircraft. At the same time, commercial and scientific interests in the unmanned aircraft market are soaring. While the proliferation of unmanned aircraft faces many challenges, the most significant is the lack of routine access to civil airspace. MITRE is working closely with the military services, researchers, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the aviation community to balance the needs of defending the nation with those of providing access to civil airspace for all users. Difficult Differences 
Unmanned aircraft exhibit physical, performance, and operational characteristics that differ significantly from manned aircraft. The effect of these differing characteristics on the civilian airspace system (including the air traffic service providers and existing users) is a concern. Take for example differences in size. Some unmanned aircraft, like the 32,000-lb Global Hawk, are similar in size to the aircraft that currently populate civilian airspace. But some unmanned aircraft weigh as little as three pounds and can be launched from an operator's hand. To equip these smaller aircraft with the safety and communication features required in their larger manned cousins is difficult, if not impossible. Additionally, the visibility and radar cross-sections of these smaller aircraft greatly diminish their ability to be seen by air traffic control and nearby pilots. Most unmanned aircraft missions do not follow the point-to-point routes characteristic of manned operations, but involve some form of patterned flight or tracking activity that may include intermittent short- or long-term orbits. Unmanned aircraft are also slower for the most part than their manned counterparts. Some unmanned aircraft also have an ability to stay aloft for long periods of time, designed for flights lasting weeks or even months. Understanding and communicating the potential effects these unique characteristics will have on the civil airspace system requires a thorough understanding of that system. Simulations and Scenarios In 2004, MITRE began to research the potential consequences of unmanned aircraft operations in the National Airspace System. This work used simulation to understand how unmanned aircraft will integrate with and potentially affect existing and future traffic flows, airspace, infrastructure, and air traffic procedures. MITRE's secondary objective was to determine what, if any, unique procedural changes or restrictions might be required for unmanned aircraft flight operations. Central to this effort was the development of unmanned aircraft operational scenarios. These scenarios reflected the wide variety of unmanned aircraft types and missions being proposed for operations over the next decade. In all, 12 scenarios were developed, mostly domestic military and homeland security missions. Others included law enforcement, scientific, and commercial operations. A byproduct of the simulation work was the development of three-dimensional visualizations of some scenarios. These visualizations proved helpful in communicating to various aviation stakeholders how these aircraft would fly relative to existing air traffic flows. They also provided an awareness of the need to develop new strategies for dealing with these operations.
Partners in Integration MITRE has also been a key contributor to the aviation community's efforts to define standards for unmanned aircraft system operations through RTCA, Inc. RTCA is a private, not-for-profit corporation that develops consensus-based recommendations regarding communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management system issues. MITRE, working closely with the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Project office, is also assessing the risks from small unmanned aircraft. Through modeling and other risk assessment techniques, MITRE and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are attempting to determine if there is a set of operational limitations and size restrictions that could be placed on small unmanned aircraft that would enable them to operate safely with minimal scrutiny. MITRE's role in these activities potentially has much broader implications than the civil airspace integration issue. The technologies under development and decisions under consideration today could have a profound effect on all aviation. Furthermore, unmanned aircraft developments will act as a catalyst for introducing novel technologies and concepts in the areas of communication, collision avoidance, information sharing, alternative fuels, and autonomous controls. These advances will not only benefit unmanned aircraft but also manned aircraft by making them more capable, efficient, and safe. |
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| For more information, please contact Robert Boetig or Matthew DeGarmo using the employee directory. Page last updated: August 20, 2007 | Top of page |
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