Unmanned aircraft will require a sense and avoid (SAA) capability to mitigate for the lack of a remote pilot’s ability to “see and avoid” other aircraft, which is an operational requirement. Regulators certify the airworthiness of aircraft, assuring their compliance with applicable regulations. Approvals of SAA implementations constitute part of that process. Each applicant will need to develop a Project Specific Certification Plan in close coordination with the regulator. Various tools for safety analysis and configuration control support this effort. Specification of the certification basis for SAA will need close attention, since the system addresses functions traditionally allocated to an onboard pilot. Algorithms and software will receive scrutiny due to their safety roles.
Standards are developed to capture common requirements in support of systems that may use some degree of unique design innovation. A standard should suggest means of demonstrating compliance to its requirements, and so doing will greatly simplify the burden for both applicant and regulator. The closest existing standard to SAA is that for the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II (TCAS II), but SAA includes the additional function of self-separation. SAA can be implemented with various technologies in a variety of architectures.
SAA should provide two basic functions, each performing prescribed subfunctions. Considerable modeling and simulation will be required to validate system performance and support the safety case. The regulator may offer guidance to applicants through publication of an Advisory Circular.
Standards and Certification of a UAS Sense and Avoid Capability
Handbook of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ; Chapter : 37 ; 2361-2381
2014-08-09
21 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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