Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Research Presented to: Presented by: UAS Midwest Kerin Olson UAS Integration Research Strategy Lead FAA UAS Integration Office Date:
FAA UAS Integration Office 2
Level of Autonomy The Path to Full Integration Airspace Management Full UAS Integration Aeronautical Information Infrastructure for suas Low Altitude Authorization & Notification Capability (LAANC) suas Registration Low-risk, Isolated ATM NAS System Integration Remote ID Network ATC Order No ATC Services below 400 Ft AGL ATM ACAS-Xu based DAA Part 107 Operations Section 333 Operations Part 135 Certifications UAS Operations Over People UAS Integration Pilot Program Partnership for Safety Plan Operations Passenger Operations Expanded Operations Interpretive Rule Update Section 336 Legislation UAS Flight Restrictions & Remote ID Regulatory Activities Building the Foundation 3
FAA UAS Integration Research Division Spearheads the FAA UAS Integration Research Roundtable Collaborates across governmental agencies, with industry, academia, and international groups Implements the FAA s approach to UAS research, which is phased by operational capabilities providing a pathway to UAS integration Leads special integration projects 4
FAA s Research Approach OMB Circular A-11, Section 84.2 5
FAA s Applied Research Methods What is applied research? Applied research is directed towards a specific practical aim or objective. 6
Operational Capabilities Towards Full UAS Integration 7
UAS Research Functional Areas UAS integration research supports key FAA mission functions to publish regulations, policy, procedures, and guidance material to support safe and efficient UAS operations in the NAS. UAS Integration Research Functional Framework Ongoing and planned research activities inform these functional areas. 8
UAS Research Domains UAS Research Domains represent key challenge areas for UAS integration into the NAS. Within each domain there are research initiatives that address these challenges to support UAS integration. Detect and Avoid Human Factors Navigation Safety, Data, Reliability Command and Control Surveillance Forecasting 9
UAS Research Collaboration & Partnerships 10
FAA UAS Integration Research Highlights Small UAS Detect and Avoid Requirements Necessary for Limited Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Operations UAS Airborne Collision Severity Structural and Engine Impacts UAS Ground Collision Severity Ohio State University leading current testing efforts www.assureuas.org UAS Economic Forecast Research & status reports on all UAS research available on FAA website 11
UAS Integration Pilot Program 149 complete lead applicant proposals submitted, from geographically diverse state, local, and tribal government entities DOT Secretary Chao selected 10 Lead Participants Evaluate involvement of state, local, tribal governments Inform future guidelines and regulations Develop and test innovative UAS concepts 12
UAS IPP Participants North Dakota Department of Transportation Bismarck, ND City of Reno Reno, NV Kansas Department of Transportation Topeka, KS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority Herndon, VA Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Memphis, TN City of San Diego San Diego, CA University of Alaska-Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Durant, OK North Carolina Department of Transportation Raleigh, NC Lee County Mosquito Control District Ft. Myers, FL 13
Supporting the IPP Through Research and Analysis UAS Critical Paths for Operational Capabilities and Key Enablers Development of UAS Integration Safety Case(s) 14
Critical Paths: A Two-Tiered Approach FAA Operational Critical Paths The FAA has critical paths for achieving operational capabilities and key enablers required for integration These will be informed by IPP operations The success of each IPP operation contributes towards an overall repeatable, scalable process for the FAA IPP Operational Critical Paths Each IPP Participant has a critical path for success Includes approvals, operations, data collection/analysis, economic and community impact assessments, and development of a safety case for operations We can assist in developing these critical paths, reviewing test plans, identifying data gaps that will support a safety case for operations 15
Tier One: FAA Operational Critical Paths Critical Paths Align to Operational Capabilities and Key Enablers Operational Capabilities Operations Over People Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations Small UAS Package Delivery Non-Segregated Operations Key Enablers UAS Traffic Management (FAA Implementation) Remote Identification Low Altitude Authorization & Notification Capability Dynamic Airspace Management Command and Control (C2) Detect and Avoid (DAA) Consider: Multi-UAS, Automation Use a systems engineering approach to identify the key tasks, safety hurdles, milestones, dependencies, and sequence of events needed along each pathway Current tools: waivers, exemptions, authorization, etc. 16
FAA Operational Critical Paths There is a sequence of tasks, activities, milestones, and decision points, with dependencies to achieve BVLOS and small UAS Package Delivery Operations. These are informed by operational data Need to define the end point: What is success? How do we know when we get there? 17
FAA Operational Critical Paths There is a set of items that relate to FAA UTM Implementation 18
FAA Operational Critical Paths LAANC Remote ID Rule Dynamic Restrictions.and are on the FAA UTM Implementation critical path 19
Tier Two: IPP Critical Paths Each IPP has a critical path for success This is a set of operations, tasks, activities, milestones, and decision points, with dependencies to achieve IPP success This provides an operational data set to enable IPP operations. This data set, supplemented by other IPP operations, is on the FAAs critical path and informs a repeatable, scalable process to achieve UAS operational capabilities Need to define the end point: What is success? How do we know when we get there? 20
Safety Case - We pull the research thread UAS Integration Operational Capabilities Integration Pilot Program IPP Concept of Operations UAS Research Partners Internal & External Partners UAS Research Data Research Results, Operational Data 21
Safety Case Development for UAS Integration Research Part 107 Waivers CONOPS Section 333 Exemptions Safety Methodology Operational Risk Assessment Standards Repeatable Processes Definition of Risk Acceptance Risk Mitigation Testing UAS Safety Risk Management Processes Viable Safety Cases Technical Data Requirements Validation Optimal Test Methods Optimal Risk Mitigation Process Optimal Data Sets to support safety 22
Moving Forward Together As long as we continue to journey down this road together, with a focus on shared accountability for safety and in a spirit of collaboration and inclusion, we will succeed in meeting the challenges that we face along the way. 23