FAA ASSURE A54 PROJECT
Collaborative UAS Right-of-Way Research
ABOUT ASSURE A54 PROJECT
The A54 project seeks to inform rule-making and standards development regarding Right of Way (RoW) rules for crewed and uncrewed aircraft in low-altitude environments. The output of this work will help identify gaps in current regulations regarding new entrants into the airspace and explore options for future rules.
Right-of-Way rules govern the interactions between aircraft to preserve safety. Right-of-Way rules are derived in part from the See-and-Be-Seen safety concept, the maneuverability limitations of aircraft types to give way, and other safety considerations. Various standards apply to specific types of UAS. However, there is ambiguity for other UAS, and rules have yet to be developed for interactions between two uncrewed aircraft or UAS swarms.
Right-of-Way rules impact UAS Detect and Avoid (DAA) requirements and the development of industry standards. This research project explores these rules for diverse UAS operations and will ultimately make safety-based recommendations for consideration by Federal Aviation Administration decision-makers and UAS standards bodies.
MOVING INDUSTRY FORWARD THROUGH COLLABORATION
With the University of North Dakota’s John D. Odergard School of Aerospace Sciences (UND) at the helm, this project has brought together a collective of industry experts to develop comprehensive turn-key BVLOS solutions for advanced UAS operations.
To support this effort, UND is collaborating with the University of Kansas and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, using Iris Automation and Sagetech Avionic’ Detect and Avoid solutions for cooperative and noncooperative traffic, along with Elsight’s Halo C2 link for redundant communications onboard the Applied Aeronautics Albatross UAV platform.
The research will provide key insights into how the UAS pilot can make safe and effective decisions when receiving conflicting traffic alerts and help define the operator’s responsibility for situational awareness for both cooperative and noncooperative aircraft. The goal is to eliminate ambiguity and enhance safety considerations for various aircraft sizes, crewed or uncrewed.
Three geographical locations have been identified across the U.S. to test the Albatross UAV and other UAVs against various flight scenarios using different types of aircraft, crewed and uncrewed. Simulation and flight testing will be completed in 1½ years, with the report to be delivered to the FAA in 2023.
Applied Aero Albatross
Albatross UAV is a long-range fixed-wing drone. Boasting over 4 kg of available payload space and a 4-hour flight time, the Albatross UAV is ideal for BVLOS missions like asset monitoring, search and rescue, and surveillance.
Iris Automation Casia
Casia is a computer vision detect-and-avoid solution designed to detect manned and unmanned aviation assets.
Sagetech ACAS
Sagetech's ACAS enables UAS to navigate BVLOS safely. This low SWaP, all-in-one detect and avoid system is compatible with most common non-cooperative sensors and, in the case of the ASSURE program, will integrate with the Iris Automation Casia system.
Sagetech MXS
Sagetech’s FAA-certified next-gen MXS miniature transponder provides Modes A, C, S and 1090 MHz ADS-B in/out for worldwide compliance of your crewed or uncrewed system.
Elsight Halo
Elsight’s Halo drone connectivity solution combines multiple flexible communication links with advanced bonding algorithms to provide a modular, multi-network, agnostic communication solution ideal for BVLOS flights.
ABOUT ASSURE
The FAA’s ASSURE program is the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence. The program’s mission is to provide high-quality research and support to autonomy stakeholders to safely and efficiently integrate autonomous systems into the national and international infrastructure, thereby increasing commerce and overall public safety and benefit.
ASSURE is comprised of 25 of the world’s leading research institutions and more than a hundred leading industry and government partners.
