[Avionics Today 05-03-2016] Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) company AeroVironment, in partnership with SmartC2, a provider of flight business management systems, will team with NASA on its Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) Technology Capability Levels (TCL) 2 flight demonstration slated for October 2016.
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| AeroVironment Puma AE and Smart C2 VirtualAirBoss will demonstrate beyond visual line of sight UAS traffic management with NASA on a Puma UAS. Photo: Business Wire |
The demonstration will build on results from UTM TCL1 field testing concluded last August and ongoing operational demonstration and field testing of AeroVironment’s FAA-certified Puma AE small UAS to focus on beyond-visual line-of-sight operations in sparsely populated areas. Researchers will test technologies that allow dynamic adjustments to availability of airspace and contingency management, such as onboard autopilot 3D geo-fencing, enhanced safety with back-up data link command and control, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) integration communicating via the SmartC2 VirtualAirBoss aviation business management system into NASA’s UTM research platform.
NASA is working with the FAA and others to develop concepts and requirements for a UTM-type construct to safely manage diverse UAS operations in the airspace above buildings and below traditional aircraft operations in suburban and urban areas. VirtualAirBoss is a browser-based, Service-Oriented-Architecture (SOA) software platform to help UAS service groups manage their business operations.
The AeroVironment/SmartC2 package supports NASA’s UTM TCL2 research platform for an integrated system capable of safely flying crossing trajectories that are separated by altitude in both line-of-sight and beyond-visual line-of-sight operations over sparsely populated areas with minimal structures on the ground. The VirtualAirBoss solution serves as the bridge between the Puma ground control station and the NASA UTM research server.
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