Posted on 05/21/2004 9:15:28 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LANCASTER - Aircraft flying without pilots in the cockpits may be the future of aviation, but before such vehicles can become commonplace they must be able to operate safely, routinely and reliably in the existing national airspace system. To that end, NASA is teaming up with the aerospace industry, the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration to establish the policies, procedures and supporting technology necessary to safely integrate unmanned aircraft with existing air traffic.
The project, called HALE ROA in the NAS - for high-altitude, long-endurance remotely operated aircraft in the national airspace system - kicked off this week with a series of meetings in Lancaster among the project partners. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base is the lead agency managing the project.
Six aerospace companies with interests in further development of unmanned vehicles - The Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., AeroVironment, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Aurora Flight Sciences - formed a consortium to participate in the project.
With the current airspace restrictions, most unmanned aerial vehicles are in military use, such as the Predator and Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft, or have other limited roles. As these vehicles have developed, the aerospace industry has identified the need of such platforms for other uses within the national airspace system, said Scott Dann , industry director of the UAV National Industry Team. Border patrols, fire surveillance, science missions and remote imaging are examples of such uses.
With existing regulations, operating an unmanned aircraft in the national airspace is possible only with a special clearance from the FAA, a time-consuming process. Routine access, such as that enjoyed by piloted commercial and personal aircraft, is needed to make the use of unmanned vehicles viable, Dann said.
"The fundamental tenet is to preserve the safety of the (airspace) system," said Jeff Bauer, Dryden project manager.
The entire HALE ROA project is envisioned as a series of four steps, with the first two funded over the next five years. The first step would allow for routine unmanned operations at altitudes above 40,000 feet; the second would lower the threshold for such operations to 18,000 feet.
The first two steps are estimated to cost $125 million to $130 million, with approximately $100 million of that from federal funding and the remainder from industry partners. These steps should be completed by 2008.
They only would cover cruising conditions at the specified altitudes; unmanned aircraft still would need special clearance or use restricted airspace for take-offs and landings.
Steps three and four, which are not yet funded, will address low-level and emergency access.
Total cost for the entire program is estimated at $360 million, using federal and industry funding.
The body of research produced with this project will be used to make recommendations and provide data to the FAA, which ultimately is responsible for determining the regulations governing use of the national airspace.
Unlike many NASA endeavors, this one is focused primarily on setting policies and procedures, with technological development taking a supporting role. Much of the technology needed to make autonomous and remote operation of unmanned aircraft already exists, said Rich Wlezien, manager of NASA's vehicle systems program. Further refinements may be needed, however, as requirements are identified.
Much of the project will involve computer simulations. Flight testing, when needed, likely will occur at Dryden.
"We see Dryden as the hotbed of activity for NASA UAV work," Wlezien said. "Essentially, all NASA UAV work is coming through Dryden."
Possible uses of unmanned aircraft include functioning as "flying satellites," long-endurance platforms for communications or imaging equipment that may be landed, refurbished and sent aloft again.
"Imagine cell phones without cell phone towers," Wlezien said.
The Department of Homeland Defense and U.S. Coast Guard also are interested in the technology for border and coastal patrols.
No thanks. I'll take an experienced human pilot over a hackable electronic pilot any day of the week. Other people can take the risk, I choose not to do so.
Sorry, I can see the tech advantage, but at least stand back and watch Predator and Global Hawk for a while longer. Often as not, where they fly, failure would likely result in a camel's butt getting scorched. Have to admit, computer security problems would worry me a bit, especially as I live next door to a 30,000 gallon propane tank.
"No thanks. I'll take an experienced human pilot over a hackable electronic pilot any day of the week. Other people can take the risk, I choose not to do so."
No people would be carried by these planes......but that said, there is, as yet, really no viable (commercial) mission for it.....cell phones.....nope never happen......maybe for some long endurance gov't surveillance.....but then, that really doesn't qualify for a viable mission, does it?
It's a silver bullet at best. Love the technology, but if there is no use, there is no use.
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