Electronic Conspicuity
The aviation environment is rapidly changing. To maintain pace, technology must either adapt or evolve. Until now, aviation safety has been maintained through a partitioned grid of air traffic control (ATC) systems comprised of radar, human observers, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)- dependent electronic conspicuity signals. This system was largely designed to ensure safe operations in airspace surrounding airports, the start and end point for most manned aircraft. Unmanned aircraft, however, do not require airports or even runways; multi-rotor systems can be launched and recovered from virtually anywhere. A large portion of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operate in airspace without ATC services (defined as Classes G and E, at certain altitudes). In these environments, manned aircraft are not required to transmit a conspicuity signal that would otherwise alert other aircraft of their presence and enable deconfliction. Therefore, the issue arises of how to ensure the safe separation of aircraft, both manned and unmanned, in dual-use airspace.
To address these concerns, HASS COE is conducting research into several methods through which the application of networked technologies may not only support the safe integration of UAS into the United States National airspace today but also create a safe and secure environment for future evolutions. In our recently published whitepaper, Electronic Conspicuity: Exploring the Use of Advanced Radiofrequency Technologies to Enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, we explain the current state of aviation electronic conspicuity and introduce concepts for leveraging existing mobile network technologies to resolve the barriers impeding UAS integration.
Depiction of the side-lobe radiation pattern from vertical collinear dipole arrays on mobile network base stations illustrating spectrum availability at increasing altitudes (specific altitudes are for illustrative purposes only, additional testing will reveal the capabilities and limitations of the network to support multiple aviation functions)
If you have any questions or want to learn more about electronic conspicuity, please contact Christopher Nassif (christopher.nassif1@dot.gov).
Contact Us
Denise Bakar
Communications Manager
denise.bakar@dot.gov
General Inquiries
hass-coe@dot.gov
