Bringing UAS to America’s Skies UAVs: Where Are We Now and ... · Data Collection/ Distribution...

UAVs: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Headed?

The Lone Star UAS Test SiteDavid Bridges

Associate Professor of Mechanical EngineeringTexas A&M University – Corpus Christi

Director, TAMU-CC Unmanned Aerial Systems Program

Texas Aviation ConferenceDallas, Texas

April 11, 2014

Bringing UAS to America’s Skies

How did we get here? The FAA SIR

• A response to congressional mandates (February 2012)• Six UAS test sites to be selected by FAA for the purpose of

integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS)

• UAS integration by September 2015• SIR = Screening Information Request (a type of federal contract)• SIR originally set for release in July 2012• Actually released February 2013• Final submission date: May 6, 2013• Texas submission one of 50 initiated from 37 states• 25 submissions from 24 states (CA had two) completed

submission process• The bottom line: No funding for the test sites

Bringing UAS to America’s Skies2

The FAA SIR and the Lone Star Team

• Lead institution: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi• Lead agency: Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station• Lead systems integrator: Camber Corporation• Thirteen other team members

• The Governor’s Office of Aerospace, Aviation & Defense• TXDOT Aviation• Five research institutions• Four private-sector service providers• Two airports

– Beeville: Chase Field Industrial Complex– Port Mansfield: Charles Johnson Airport


Lead institution and agency

• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC)– UAS operations since 2011: 32 flights, 36.4 hours– 450-square-mile maritime certificate of authorization (COA)– Missions performed by TAMU-CC RS-16

• Texas A&M University Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)– Seven COAs, 2012-2013– Facilities (College Station)

• Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems: CANVASS• Unmanned Flight Laboratory: Unmanned vehicle flight testing• Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory: Autonomous flight systems research• Helicopter and Unmanned Systems Laboratory• Center for Robotic-Assisted Search and Rescue: CRASAR• Center for Emergency Informatics: Human-factors research


FAA SIR Requirements – Research

• Primary purpose for the FAA is integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS)

• FAA had research goals in six areas related to UAS integration:– Develop UAS system safety and data gathering– Establish UAS airworthiness– Develop solutions for UAS command and control link issues– Develop UAS control station layout and certification standards

(human-machine interface)– Develop UAS ground and airborne sense-and-avoid technologies– Assess environmental impacts of UAS operations


FAA SIR Requirements – How We Met Them

• Airspace• Diverse, open and accessible• Safe: Thou shalt do no harm in the air or on the ground.

• Documented operational safety• TXDOT• TAMUCC• TEES• Southwest Research Institute

• Research capacities aligned with FAA• Communications: lost-link technologies• Human factors: ground-control console• Sense & avoid• Airworthiness and airworthiness certification

• A sustainable business plan


The Lone Star UAS Test Site

• The Lone Star UAS Test Site is comprised of 11 test ranges

• The red line indicates the outer boundary of the test site

• The blue lines indicate the boundaries of existing and proposed test ranges

Why did we do it? ROI

• AUVSI Economic Impact Study• AUVSI = Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems

International, founded 1972– Industry-based organization– 7,500 members– Vision statement: “To improve humanity by enabling the global use of

robotic technology in everyday lives.”

• The Economic Impact of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the United States (March 2013)– National overview of UAS industry economic impact– State-by-state review of UAS industry economic impact


AUVSI UAS Economic Impact Study

• By the numbers…• Nationally: 2015-2018

– $13.6 billion total economic impact– 34,000 manufacturing jobs– 70,000 indirect and induced jobs

• Nationally: 2019-2025– $82.1 billion cumulative economic impact– 103,776 total job creation

• Tax revenue to states, 2015-2025: $482 million• Loss due to UAS integration delay: $10 billion annually


AUVSI Economic Impact Study – Implications

• Unmanned aircraft systems are the “next big thing” in aviation industrial development.

• Safely integrating UAS into the national airspace is crucialfor this development to occur.

• FAA UAS test sites will – Attract even more industrial development than predicted by

AUVSI– Enhance Texas’ long-term research capacities– Provide educational and employment opportunities for

generations of students in higher education


We won!• Dec. 30, 2013: FAA notified TAMU-CC that

Texas had been designated as a UAS test site• LSUASC is required to be operational as a

test site no later than June 30, 2013.– LSUASC must obtain a Certificate of Authorization

(COA) for one or more of its test ranges and the vehicle or vehicles to be operated in the test range

– Operations must be compliant with the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) between the LSUASC and the FAA (primarily reporting requirements)


TAMU-CC Padre Range

Dimensions of the Airspace:• ALT: SFC – 3,000 MSL• Point 1 to 2 – 34.5 NM• Point 1 to 4 – 15 NM• Square Miles – 517.5 NM

TAMU‐CC Padre Range

CBBIC

TAMU/TEES Riverside Range

Dimensions of the Airspace:• ALT: SFC – 400 AGL• Point 1 to 6 – 2.2 NM• Point 1 to 4 – 1.8 NMTexas A&M Flight Test Station Airport:• FAA Identifier – 83TX• Elevation = 264 ft• Runways – 17R/35L =

7,000’x150’• No functioning Control Tower• Wind Indicator – No

TAMU/TEES Disaster City Range

Dimensions of the Airspace:• ALT: SFC – 200 AGL• Point 1 to 2 – 0.3 NM• Point 2 to 4 – 0.28 NM

Command Centers

• Mission Control Center– Located in Coastal Bend

Business Innovation Center (a TAMU-CC facility) in Flour Bluff, just south of Corpus Christi

– Provides infrastructure to meet the following mission objectives:

• Common operational picture• Command and Control of test

site and ranges• Safety management• Range backup control• Casualty Analysis• Data collection and analysis

– Will have real-time input of telemetry and data from UAS operations in all of the ranges


Command Centers

• Mobile Operations Center (MOC)– Used in support of range operations– Command & Control for UAS– Data acquisition control– Real-time satellite and cell link to

MCC at CBBIC– Communications with chase aircraft


Lone Star UAS Test Site OrganizationTop-Level Organization & Functions


Safety Management Mission Assurance

• OEMs• E‐Commerce• E‐Schedule• Partner Site• Other Institutions• Community Outreach

• Industry Outreach• International Outreach

• Associate Contractor Agreements

• Program Management • Approval Authority for Site Ops• Accident/Incident Investigation• Audit Reviews and Oversight• SME Recommendations to TAMUCC• Scheduled Range Evaluations

• Safety Management System (SMS)• Training Standards and Evaluation• Safety Analysis• Oversight of SSEB, Range Safety• Risk Hazard• Casualty Expectation Methodology

Security• Physical Security• Cyber Security• Privacy Management• Information Assurance

IT• Web Portal• Data Access

LegalTrainingQuality Assurance

Independent Safety Review BoardSite Management OfficeResearch, Commercial &

Industry Outreach

Governor’s Office ofAerospace, Aviation & Defense

[Next Slide]

Lone Star UAS Test Site OrganizationOperational/Team Functions


R&D Projects

Human Factors

Engineering Ops Support

Environmental Analysis

Test & Evaluation

• Reliability,/Availability/Maintainability (RAM) Data

• Payloads• Multi‐Level

• FAA Interface• NAS Integration

Instrumentation/ Sensors

System Engineering

Resource Mgt.

Data Mgt.• Proprietary Information• ITAR• Data Analysis• Intellectual Property

• Communications• Frequency Management• Schedules

• FAA Liaison• Procedures,

Specifications, Regulation

•Ground•Flight

•FAA Interface•OSHA

Flight Readiness Review

Airspace Integration Management

Flight Operations

Data Collection/ Distribution

Range Safety

Ground Operations

Range Operations

• Airworthiness Committee

• Safety Checklist• Controls &

Mitigation• Airworthiness

Records• Flight Readiness

Review• Subsystem

Certification

Safety & Risk Assessment

Training, Certification, Licensing

UAS Airworthiness

• Security• Research• Safety• Operations• FAA‐based

Processes (8040.4A & MIL‐STD 882)

Site Management Office

Site OperationsR&D Operations Evaluation Board

System Safety Evaluation Board

Lone Star UAS Test Site Expertise

• FAA operations and coordination• UAS acquisition, operations and maintenance• UAS range operations (autonomous and manual)• COA development • Technical assistance with payload integration, final assembly and

testing• Control of the ‘air wing’ & mobile GCS/Command Centers to

prevent costly expenditure/negotiation with UAS vendors• Integration/development and verification of ground control station


LSUASC Support Services

• Centralized and distributed command and control centers• Systems engineering support

o COA developmento Mission definition & Concept of operationso Interface definitiono Environmental Analyzes

• Safety process• Vehicles• Airfields (runways, hangers, shops, OSHA facilities)


LSUASC Support Services

• Airspace for testing• Laboratories (CANVASS, CBBIC, ESIL)

o developmento interface checkout and final assembly o operational checks

• Location security and emergency services• Fixed & mobile GCS• Integrated data environment• Airworthiness support


The Texas Privacy Act

• TPA: The upsideo Addresses a legitimate concerno Legitimate regulation of controversial technologyo A balanced, proactive approacho Aligns with FAA policy

• Uses especially relevant to LSUASCo Scholarly research by institutions of higher education and/or

manufacturers under contract with such institutionso Airspace designated as a test site or range authorized by FAA


What’s Next?

• LSUASC Industry Day– April 7-9, 2014– Held at TAMU-CC– 130 registered participants– Agenda:

• Keynote: “The Economic Impact of UAS in the NAS,” Michael Tuscano, CEO, AUVSI• How the Texas Solution Enables Market Participation• How the 11 LSUASC Ranges Align with Domestic UAS Markets• How to Schedule LSUASC Ranges and Coordinate for R&D Support• State of Texas Agency Panel, moderated by Keith Graf

– Representatives of various state agencies provided needs that could be addressed by UAS

• Industry Panel Discussion– Industry representatives discussed current UAS system capabilities and needs

• Second day: one-on-one meetings between participants and LSUASC personnel to discuss research and testing in LSUASC

• After that? …


What’s Next?

• “We have an activity plan with FAA that we are obliged to fulfill by contract.• “We will stand up the test site, offer out capacities to the UAS industry community,

reach out to our stakeholders – public, state, team, etc. – and strive to be the first test site designee to operate as a test site according to FAA guidelines.

• “We believe that will secure Texas as the foremost site for UAS R&D and commercialization of technologies for UAS integration into the NAS.

• “We are in this for the long haul, viz., continued development and technological innovation.

• “We are planning for sustainability well beyond the 2017 terminus of the current test-site contract.”

Dr. Ron George, Senior Research Development OfficerTexas A&M University – Corpus ChristiLone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation


Questions?

Our Team and Their Responsibilities


Team Member Expertise Site Mgt. Office

Site Ops

Mission Assur.

Safety R&D Ops

Out-reach

Texas Governor's Office of Aerospace, Aviation and Defense X X XTexas A&M University-Corpus Christi X X X X X XTAMU Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) X X X X X XSouthwest Research Institute X X XCamber Corporation X X X X X XUniversity of Texas at Arlington Research Institute X XUniversity of Texas at San Antonio X XTexas Tech University X XBay Area Houston Advanced Tech. Consortium X XCharles Johnson Airport (Port Mansfield) X X XAir Traffic Analysis X XJerry Thompson and Associates (JTA) X XTexas DOT X XModern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI) XChase Field Industrial Complex (Beeville) X X XAviation Specialties Inc. X X

Bringing UAS to America’s Skies UAVs: Where Are We Now and ... · Data Collection/ Distribution...

Documents

Transcript of Bringing UAS to America’s Skies UAVs: Where Are We Now and ... · Data Collection/ Distribution...