Detect and avoid

Topic description

Objective:

Nowadays, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) (or remotely piloted aerial systems - RPAS) are used to support an extended spectrum of military missions. Their involvement in the future, notably with the next generation air combat systems, is expected to increase. However, these UAS may be limited to operate in segregated airspace or within visual line of sight, especially when the need arises for their safe simultaneous operation together with other manned and/or unmanned assets.

To overcome these limitations, all manned and unmanned air assets need to be integrated safely and effectively in non-segregated airspace, notably in the context of the Single European Sky.

Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems are technologies that allow UAS to integrate safely into airspace including civil airspace, avoiding collisions with other aircraft. These systems observe the environment surrounding the UAS, detect traffic, informs the pilot, assess risk of collision and when appropriate generate a new flight path to avoid collision.

As a key enabler for air traffic integration (ATI) of UAS, DAA effectively provides the remote pilot with the ability to perform the required duties regarding safety hazard of conflicting airborne aircraft. Through collection and fusion of sensor data, the remote pilot obtains awareness of traffic, while assisted by collision avoidance (CA) and remain well clear (RWC) functions, preventing the unmanned aircraft to be involved in a collision hazard or, if so, allowing manoeuvre to avoid a collision even in case of lost pilot action.

Therefore, the general objective of this topic consists in reaching a consistent level of maturity allowing to integrate the envisioned European DAA capabilities into the maximum possible UAS within the various Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) fleet in order to allow for UAS operation in the airspace anywhere and at any time.

Specific objective

The specific objective of this topic is to take the necessary steps towards a standardised, qualified and certified DAA solution to be integrated in many different UAS, hence allowing a full integration for civil and military airspace and U-space services where applicable, and operational use of current and near-term platforms to be used, such as MALE RPAS.

The scope of the topic is to provide a fully standardised, qualified and certifiable DAA solution for UAS. The DAA solution should aim at fully integrating RPAS in the general airspace (A-G classes) without any limitations regarding operation in the airspace including in TMA. This is to be achieved by involving all the relevant key-stakeholders regarding airspace integration in Europe (i.e., EUROCAE, EASA, EUROCONTROL, SESAR, ANSPs, pilot organisations and ICAO).

The outcome should be a standard for DAA systems emanating from a fully developed DAA solution. This solution must be validated by simulation and under real flying conditions, allowing integration in various UAS, including MALE RPAS and tactical RPAS.

The overarching scope of this topic will be to push the DAA solution (conflicting airborne traffic) for UAS into designs for full operational capability without any UAS specific restrictions in European airspace including in TMA. The designs must be European standardised and recognised in Europe by relevant authorities and stakeholders. The DAA solution must be designed to be integrable for both MALE and tactical RPAS classes. The DAA solution design must be made for aeronautical use on aircraft and as such be subject to qualification and certification.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

The proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of the mandatory activities:

• Studies:
  • establish an inventory of past and existing projects and solutions worldwide for the DAA function, analyse their strengths and weaknesses in order to make sure DAA will come to state-of-the-art solutions;
  • specification of facilities, test conditions, measurements, instrumentation, analysis of ongoing and future regulation requirements, data analytic capabilities, environment, engineering development sites and analysis processes, which better serve the testing, prototyping, qualifying and certifying procedures to follow;
  • specification of the system integration procedures which facilitate the accommodation of system updates and the integration of new innovative functional capabilities;
  • assessment of the possibility to define a common site for demonstration, testing, analysing and training purposes, using the same or interoperable facilities;
  • study collision avoidance manoeuvre dedicated to low-speed performance RPAS;
  • provision of drawings, reports, analyses, certification plan and data in view of future approval and certification of the system by supporting Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) authorities.
• Design:
  • preparation of a detailed test and evaluation master plan;
  • elimination of deficiencies identified and incorporate possible new features to upgrade the configuration accordingly;
  • defining system architecture to make a consistent set of sub-functions of the DAA solution for MALE and tactical RPAS;
  • feasibility of tactical RPAS applications:
    • DAA adaptions to tactical RPAS operations;
    • certification considerations for tactical RPAS;
  • sensors:
    • minimising the weight/volume of the sensors/system applying a SWaP approach;
  • provide validation and standardisation of DAA;
  • provide resources to obtain European standards;
  • standardisation:
    • support the standardisation in terms of maintaining the already available standards based on the feedback from testing;
    • complementing standards with new elements stemming from the activities.
• System prototyping:
  • definition and build/update of the “engineering development model” version of the pre-production prototype, to evaluate the performance of the system;
  • prototype the system with environment constraints level (e.g. vibrations, temperature, RTCA/EUROCAE DO160) corresponding to different RPAS classes (e.g. MALE RPAS, Tactical RPAS, rotorcraft UAS as optional).
• Testing:
  • testing of the system as a unified whole, in terms of performance, compatibility, reliability, maintainability, availability and safety;
  • system performances and behaviour tested and validated in environments of European air traffic and international air traffic including relevant parameters;
  • validation of the DAA solution;
  • verification of system components to prove feasibility;
  • checking that the software meets the system requirements and its compatibility with the hardware;
  • execution of simulations, to evaluate the performance, effectiveness and compatibility between the prime defined mission and specific oriented segments of the system;
  • execution of field tests in a realistic operational environment, to verify the system’s performance in different realistic scenarios including collision avoidance scenarios;
  • verification of interoperability with the remoted pilots, in terms of data link characteristics, communication protocols and human-machine interfaces efficiency;
  • diagnostic on discrepancies, faults and non-conformities with the wished system requirements and behaviour and quick response by a remedial plan of actions.
• Qualification:
  • checking that the system meets its operational requirements to effectively accomplish its mission and user needs;
  • evaluation of all elements of the system on an integrated basis;
  • evaluation of all major interfaces among the different subsystems or subfunctions of the DAA;
  • assessment of the possible impact of the DAA system to other closely related operating systems of the UAS;
  • derivation, evaluation, and application of possible upgrading changes to the system’s configuration;
  • provision of evidence for further environmental qualification;
  • final identification of detailed plan for certification of UAS equipped with DAA;
  • obtain full recognition of the DAA solution and DAA related standards including regulatory conditions, AMCs or other MOC.

In addition, the proposals must substantiate synergies and complementarity with activities described in the call topic EDIDP-ISR-DAA-2019 targeting the development of a European Detect and Avoid (DAA) function based on new sensors and processing for RPAS integration into air-traffic management, as well as the European Defence Agency’s Mid-air collision avoidance system (MIDCAS) project and SESAR.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies should meet the following functional requirements, in line with capability requirements as jointly agreed by supporting Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway):

• a DAA solution to allow operation in all airspace classes (including TMA) and at any time without UAS specific restrictions;
• a DAA solution that can be certified (military and civil) for the intended operation with involvement of relevant stakeholders for respectively certification and scenario definition;
• fulfil every given requirement resulting from the standardisation efforts in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders in ATI in Europe;
• identify and assess detailed additional common requirements in accordance with needs of EU Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) while ensuring the harmonisation of international requirements and potential military specific requirements on DAA systems;
• enable UAS navigation in airspace without constant inputs from remote pilots, thanks to an agreed and final version of a standard for detect and avoid;
• enable participation of UAS to the same operation with other manned and unmanned aircraft;
• detect and avoid cooperative and non-cooperative traffic by providing traffic information, as well as, when appropriate, providing alerts and guidance, and performing avoidance manoeuvres while not creating another dangerous situation with other aircraft;
• ability to execute either CA or RWC manoeuvres. Alerts and guidance of RWC manoeuvres as a second layer of conflict management, when separation is the responsibility of the remote pilot. Execution of collision avoidance as third and last layer of conflict management, to protect the aircraft from collision in an imminent collision hazard;
• provide interoperability with CA systems (ACAS/TCAS) on manned and unmanned aircraft;
• execute manoeuvres complying with the existing rules and regulations for manned aircraft;
• operate without interfering or counteracting the normal execution of ATC;
• an intruder detected by different sensors to be processed in a way that it is only displayed to the pilot as a single intruder following sensing data fusion;
• use miniaturised non-cooperative sensors for smaller UAS compatible/compliant with minimal operational performance standards (MOPS);
• support coordination with other DAA hazard detection systems to assure appropriate actions when different hazards are present at the same time;
• fulfil civil and military requirements for different categories of RPAS with initial focus on MALE and tactical RPAS;
• be integrable (minimising the customisation process) in different categories of RPAS;
• perform its intended functions in en-route and Terminal Manoeuvring Area (TMA);
• obtain system performances and behaviour validated:
  • with models representative for European air traffic and international air traffic including relevant parameters. (e.g. Monte Carlo simulations);
  • in environments of European air traffic and international air traffic including relevant parameters (man-in-the-loop simulations).

The outcome should contribute to:

• UAS/RPAS access to civil and military airspace with full operational capability regarding DAA for the hazard of conflicting airborne traffic without any UAS/RPAS specific restrictions in European airspace including in TMA;
• new and more flexible uses of UAS operational exploitation, due to the drastic safety margins increase;
• improved civil / military cooperation to airspace management;
• availability to the European industry of an improved toolbox of DAA functions, for the purpose of airborne conflict management;
• improved UAS radar and electro-optical (EO)/infrared (IR) sensor detection, tracking and identification capabilities;
• European standardisation of RPAS/UAS DAA technology for the benefit of the EU and EDF associated countries;
• increased European industrial capability and competitiveness in UAS and autonomous systems.