Raytheon, USAF trial ground-based sense-and-avoid system for UAVs

The US Air Force (USAF) and Raytheon have evaluated ground-based sense-and-avoid capabilities to allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to safely operate in controlled airspace, the company said on 15 November.

The trials, which come ahead of the US Federal Aviation Administration's 2015 target for the integration of UAVs into the national airspace system, saw concept evaluation demonstrations that showed existing air traffic control equipment could be modified to safely track the presence of nearby unmanned aircraft.

According to Raytheon, testing of the ground-based sense-and-avoid (GBSAA) system took place near Edwards Air Force Base at Gray Butte Airfield in California and involved a moving 'dynamic protection zone' around the UAV. This zone provided a series of collision-avoidance alerts to the UAV operator as airborne objects approached.

Based on the already proven Raytheon Airport Surveillance Radar Model-11 (ASR-11) and the company's repurposed Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System air traffic control system, Raytheon's GBSAA reduces the need for costly new infrastructure, the company said. It also builds on wind farm mitigation technology used to cancel out interference from wind turbines near airports.

According to Raytheon, trials of the system will continue with the USAF at other sites across the country.