A European Defence Agency study has concluded that a mid-air collision avoidance system (MIDICAS) for long-endurance unmanned air vehicles to operate in civilian air traffic is feasible within eight years.
The 16-month study suggests that certification of such a system can be expected by 2015. The study found that no new technologies were needed and that UAV-compatible MIDICAS equipment needed to be developed to fit a UAV's likely internal volume and power constraints.
The work also examined possible necessary regulations for UAV integration into controlled airspace, a definition of MIDICAS requirements, a selection of technical proposals to meet those requirements and the use of simulation to test technical solutions.
"[The study found] that the present air traffic management environment is able to manage the introduction of long endurance UAVs. Many situations can be managed in the same way as they are for manned aviation or with limited adaptations," says the EDA.
The proposed MIDICAS sense and avoid architecture has a combination of automatic and man-in-the-loop elements. The short-term technical solution uses electro-optics, infared sensors, a radar and transponder interrogator. Mid-term the study envisaged electro-optics, a laser and a radar.
The report adds that over the short term 10 sensors would be needed to cover the UAV's field of view, while in the medium term that could be reduced to five and in the long term conformal radar antennas would be used. Launched by the EDA in June 2005 a SAGEM-led led consortium carried out the study from March 2006 and the study's final presentation was made last November.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
