The automated separation management system is a separation management system capable of providing a separation assurance function for aircraft operating in complex airspace environments. The ASMS comprises three core components:
- Automated Dynamic Airspace Controller (ADAC)
- predictive Flight Management System
- Common Information Network (CIN)
Automated Dynamic Airspace Controller (ADAC)
Currently under going development by Boeing Research & Technology, the ADAC, which can be located anywhere in the world, implements novel separation management algorithms to automatically track aircraft and resolve potential conflict scenarios. The fully functional ADAC will be capable of providing a 4D (vertical, lateral and time-based) separation assurance service to large numbers of aircraft flying all over the world.
Flight testing of the ADAC has demonstrated the system as being capable of manaing complex airspace scenarios involving up to 30 aircraft within a 10NM radius.
Recent development and testing has focussed on the integration of additional surveillance information (mobile primary radar and ADS-B data) and the management of aircraft with an autonomous sense-and-avoid functionality onboard (self-separation).
predictive Flight Management System (pFMS)
The Predictive Flight Management System (pFMS) is the airborne component of the automated separation management system. The simplest implementation of the pFMS is a communications/message management, and display system implemented onboard an aircraft. The full functionality of the pFMS will enable de-centralised airspace separation management, including compensating for latencies, intelligent decision making, fusion of onboard and local sensor inputs (e.g., those from the dynamic or static sense-and-act systems or a local mobile aircraft tracking system). The pFMS has been implemented on the ARCAA ASL and unmanned fixed-wing and helicopter platforms.
Common Information Network (CIN)
Fundamental to this concept is a suitable communications network. In addition to the development and testing of different separation algorithms, one of the research objectives is to investigate the performance of the automated separation system over a number of realistic data links, including:
- The Iridium satellite-based network, and
- Telstra NextG™ terrestrial mobile network
The Airborne Systems Laboratory has been commissioned on a number of flights to characterise the performance of the networks for airborne users.
