Expeditionary BVLOS Infrastructure and UTM for Airborne Wildfire Response

Current aerial wildland fire management is limited by existing operational limitations imposed by regulations and manual airspace management techniques, inhibiting 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 and operating conditions of UAS operations due to VLOS restrictions To overcome these limitations, we propose a solution composed of an Expeditionary BVLOS Kit and a UTM Airspace Assistant The Expeditionary BVLOS Kit provides a common foundation for UAS BVLOS operations and airspace surveillance. It provides: Cooperative and uncooperative aircraft surveillance - detection, tracking, and alerting Micro-weather surveillance and alerting Local and wide-area communications BVLOS UAS operations in all phases of wildland fire management (pre-, active-, and post-fire) Built on Anzen Unmanned BVLOS approval blueprint used for multiple Part 107 BVLOS waivers and 44807 exemptions Designed for BVLOS today and for adaptable for future BVLOS regulations The UTM Airspace Assistant is an operations center on-premise UTM implementation that leverages the kits airspace surveillance, weather surveillance, and communications to: Provide a composite airspace picture (both manned and unmanned) Provide a composite micro- and macro-weather picture including real-time and predictive weather Assist in identifying and mitigating conflict Automate management of UAS operations The proposed solution integrates with current wildland fire UAS, equipment, and airspace management, supplementing them with additional capability and safety - and provides a foundation for future growth, enabling more effective use of UAS, integrated ground and airborne infrastructure, enhanced airspace management, and transformative autonomy. The current aerial wildfire environment limits integration of new aircraft types such as UAS.  Core issues: Lack of integrated manned aircraft/UAS planning and deconfliction Lack of UAS situational awareness UAS operations limited by VLOS range and operating time Challenging communications environment The Expeditionary BVLOS Kit and UTM Airspace Assistant solution addresses these issues through: Mobile expeditionary beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) surveillance system composed of one or more mobile nodes that can operate independently or in a connected environment BVLOS operations for today’s UAS assets without TFR via FAA Part 107 waiver package UTM Airspace Assistant that leverages expeditionary RF networks to provide: Strategic deconfliction of UAS operations with other air operations, including manned Manned and unmanned aircraft situational awareness for UAS operator, Ops Center, and others Situational Awareness for other responders, Ops Center, and manned aircraft OBJECTIVES:  Build and demonstrate prototype of: Expeditionary BVLOS Kit with: Surveillance & Communications node with tower and computing for DETECTION and TRACKING of air traffic (both cooperative & non-cooperative), MICRO-WEATHER situational awareness, and LOCAL & WIDE AREA COMMUNICATIONS radios BVLOS alerting and awareness interface for airspace and weather situational awareness display with VISUAL & AURAL ALERTS for BVLOS Detect and Avoid and system health Part 107 BVLOS Waiver & Document Package with manuals for use in all fire phases Standardized interfaces, including surveillance SDSP output UTM Airspace Assistant for future operation center with: Composite airspace and weather picture Deconfliction of manned and unmanned aircraft DELIVERABLES Expeditionary BVLOS Kit and UTM Airspace Assistant bill of materials and demonstration to wildland fire community System validation report with requirements and test compliance and human factors assessments Plans for demand generation, commercialization, and scaling

Advanced airborne emergency response ConOps development Integrated UAS/manned airspace management proofs-of-concept Automated UAS/manned airspace coordination development Airborne wildfire response ConOps development Expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure for drone operations research Sensor and communications infrastructure node for evaluations and POC development UTM resilience and IASMS testbed Testbed for manned aircraft UAS alerting and situational awareness Wildfire and emergency response BVLOS and airspace surveillance infrastructure Expeditionary BVLOS infrastructure for commercial BVLOS operations (e.g., inspections, survey, imagery, security) Mobile and expeditionary airspace/ground surveillance and communication node Integrated, field deployable UAS/manned traffic management (ATM-X) Manned aircraft UAS alerting infrastructure

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