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Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
Current aerial wildfire management is limited by existing operational limitations imposed by regulations and manual airspace management techniques, preventing integration of new aircraft types such as UAS. Core issues preventing optimal use of the wildfire response airspace are: Lack of integrated planning and deconfliction between manned aircraft and UAS Lack of manned aircraft situational awareness of UAS operations Limited range of UAS operations due to VLOS restrictions The proposed integrated expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure and UTM solution will enable safe integration of UAS in the restricted airspace during a wildfire response. The solution addresses the core issues through: A mobile expeditionary ground-based surveillance system composed of one or more BVLOS infrastructure system nodes that can operate independently or in a connected environment A UAS Service Supplier (USS) with an integration framework (OSIF) bridging mobile nodes through mobile RF networks and providing consolidated situational awareness The surveillance system will provide cooperative and noncooperative manned aircraft surveillance coverage to the USS. Using the surveillance data, the USS provides: Manned aircraft situational awareness to the UAS operator, ground-based Operations Center, and other wildfire responders UAS operations situational awareness to the Operations Center and other wildfire responders as well as to manned aircraft operators through the Operations Center and the USS In addition, the USS provides the infrastructure for strategic deconfliction of planned UAS operations with other air operations, including both UAS and manned. The system’s expeditionary ground-based surveillance provides not only a common operating picture of all airborne operations in the area, but also enables the use of today’s inventory of UAS assets to be used for beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations – greatly expanding the operational efficiency of UAS for emergency response operations.
Integrated UAS/manned airspace management proof-of-concept Automated UAS/manned airspace coordination development Airborne wildfire response ConOps development Mobile expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure Expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure for drone operations research Mobile sensor and communications node for technology evaluations and proof-of-concept development UTM resilience testbed Testbed for manned aircraft UAS alerting
Wildfire and emergency response BVLOS and airspace surveillance infrastructure Mobile expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure for commercial BVLOS operations (e.g., inspections, survey, imagery) Mobile airspace/ground surveillance and communication node Integrated UAS/manned traffic management (ATM-X) Manned aircraft UAS alerting infrastructure
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