Efforts to Integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) to Provide Safe and Reliable Research Platforms

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration is one of 7 UAS Test Sites sponsored by the FAA. UAF/ACUASI has also been designated as one of 10 Integration Pilot Program sites by the Department of Transportation. In these efforts, ACUASI has led the way in much novel research into achieving safe and reliable UAS platforms which may be used to autonomously conduct valuable scientific research and public service missions. This poster highlights UAF/ACUASI efforts in supporting the NASA/FAA joint program for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) over the period of 2016 through the present. It includes the major goals for the phases of the UTM program and how these efforts were supported through the development of UAS/sensor assets and operational procedures. ACUASI participated in phases 1-3 of the UTM program, progressing iteratively with flight demonstrations designed to initially explore low-density UAS operations over rural areas (eg, forestry or precision agriculture) to more complex, higher-density UAS operations in the vicinity or over increasingly populated areas (eg, package delivery in urban environments). UTM Technology Capability Level 1 incorporated all 6 FAA UAS Test Sites (Alaska, Nevada, Texas, North Dakota, Virginia, New York) who each flew 4 UAS simultaneously, for a total of 24 UAS across the US. The flight paths of these were depicted at NASA AMES. UTM TCL2 consisted of 2 separate flight campaigns - the first being a centralized flight demonstration at Reno-Stead Airport in October 2016 and the second occurring at the UAS Test Site in spring 2017. TCL3 involved a series of events occurring at several Test Sites. ACUASI successfully conducted numerous flights involving 4-5 UAS simultaneously with tightly integrated altitude-stratified operations and dynamic airspace reallocation to support emergency/high-priority operations. Notable accomplishments include: successful BVLOS automated landings using integrated laser altimeter/RTK systems; automated DAA using ADS-B technology; the use of portable ground radar for noncooperative DAA; and the use of a UAS parachute recovery system for emergency avoidance purposes.

The accomplishment of these objectives significantly improves the ability of researchers to utilize UAS as valuable tools in the future.