Often, the greatest challenge facing the realisation of any new technology is not technological in nature. There are many issues which need to be addressed in the integration of a new technology into Society. It is the objective of the Systems Integration, Regulation and Operation research theme at ARCAA to address these challenges; transforming leading-edge research into real-life outcomes. ARCAA works closely with aviation stakeholders in addressing a broad range of issues, in particular:
ARCAA has consulted to the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Air Vehicles Division (AVD), on airspace integration and airworthiness issues for the AIR7000 Project. ARCAA also established and is currently administering UAS Australia, an Australian industry initiative dedicated to addressing policy and regulatory issues facing the civil UAS industry in Australia. ARCAA has also provided consultancy services to Airservices Australia on issues concerning general airspace management and reform. ARCAA actively partakes in industry collaboration, including participation in the Australian Strategic Air Transport Management Group (ASTRA) through the ADS-B Implementation Team (ABIT) and GNSS Implementation Teams (GIT). ARCAA has provided consultancy services to Airservices Australia and Boeing Phantom Works in the area of future directions of GNSS. |
Aviation Risk ManagementRisk management research at ARCAA is currently focussed on the effective management of the risks associated with the operation of UASs in the National Airspace System (NAS). The two primary hazards associated with the operation of UASs in the NAS are: 1. Midair CollisionIn order for UAS to have a greater degree of freedom in their operation within the NAS, risk management must address the risks associated with the hazard of midair collision. | |
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Video of a near miss between a Lunar UAS and an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A300B4 (Kabul, August 2004) Description of Research ARCAA has a number of practical research programs focussed on the development of Sense-and-Act systems and procedures for the operation of UAS in unsegregated airspace environments. The Sense-and-Act Research Theme at ARCAA focusses on the development of the sensing (radar, electro-opitcal/infra-red and cooperative systems), the detection, tracking and decision making algorithms, and actuation systems necessary to provide a Sense-and-Act capability for UASs. More information can be found at: The Smart Skies Project brings together a number of stakeholders including: Boeing Australia Ltd, Boeing Phantom Works, ARCAA and CSIRO, specifically to practically demonstrate UAS airspace integration technologies and procedures. More information can be found at: ARCAA has also provided consultancy to the DSTO on issues concerning the integration of large UAS in the Australian airspace environment. ARCAA is also conducting research in the field of mission planning systems capable of generating mission plans that minimise the risk of midair collision. |
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Optimal mission plan taking into consideration airspace no fly zones, rules of the air, midair collision risk and the risk to people on the ground |
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2. Discontinuance of FlightThe operation of UASs over inhabited areas presents risks to people, property and the environment over-flown. Management of these risks requires the development of a comprehensive framework of regulations, standards and procedures relating to the design, manufacture, maintenance and operation of UASs. |
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Example impact risk contours Description of Research Research at ARCAA is dedicated to providing a consistent, and justifiable basis for the regulation of UAS operations over inhabited areas. The research is currently focussed in two key areas:
The over-arching requirement on UAS is that they demonstrate, at minimum, an Equivalent Level of Safety (ELOS) to that of human-piloted aviation. The first component of this research addresses the systematic characterisation of this high level objective with respect to the risks presented to people and property over-flown. The ELOS objective provides the foundation for a framework of safety requirements from which requirements on the airworthiness of UASs can be derived. The second component of the research is the development of a modelling and simulation framework capable of quantifying the risks of UAS operations over inhabited areas. The high-level model is shown in the figure below.
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Illustration of the high-level hazard model |
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A novel hierarchical functional description is currently under development. This functional description is capable of describing over 128 different function-level failures which can potentially lead to a discontinuance of flight. The modelling approach is not limited to a specific UAS and can be readily applied to any fixed wing aircraft (manned or unmanned). The simulation environment is capable of providing a range of graphical and tabulated outputs, in a range of output metrics. This research allows the regulator to assess the complete safety case – both the system and the operation. Outputs of this research can be used to:
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UAS Australia InitiativeARCAA initiated and is currently administering the UAS Australia industry group.
UAS Australia is a consortium of stakeholders that provides neutral and unified representation for the Australian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Industry in all forums concerning UAS policy, regulations, standards and general safe practices. UAS Australia seeks to actively work with industry, regulatory bodies, government and other aviation stakeholders in the pursuit of effective, consistent and equitable policy and regulations for the Australian UAS industry. In so doing, UAS Australia endeavors to realise the many wide-reaching benefits of a safe, yet viable, Australian UAS industry.
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