A Quantitative Metric to Enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Remain Well Clear

Abstract

A critical challenge for integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is developing a means to sense and avoid (SAA) other aircraft. One of the main functions of SAA is to ensure the UAS remains well clear from other air traffic. Human pilots determine well clear subjectively, but SAA systems need a quantified alternative means of compliance. The UAS Science and Research Panel (SARP) brought together key researchers to define guiding principles for UAS Well Clear (UWC). The SARP aligned research efforts from NASA, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and the US Air Force Research Laboratory to evaluate three UWC candidates in four simulation environments. These UWC candidates were evaluated against eight agreed operational suitability metrics, resulting in a recommended quantitative definition for UWC. This paper will describe the technical rationale for this recommendation, subsequent operational considerations, and potential to extend the work to small UAS.