The detect-and-avoid system allows drone operators to avoid collision with conflicting systems of objects that are airborne — helping with the goal of integrating drones into the international airspace, according to a news release from NUAIR.
"This major advancement in ACAS capability is a testament to the strong partnerships we have forged at Oneida County's UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport," said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. in a statement. "The collaboration and innovation that is taking place in Rome is second to none and continues to propel the UAS industry forward by leaps and bounds."
The first-of-its-kind successful test flight took place in October, but was only announced this week.
The system that was tested is a smaller and more compact version of the next generation airborne collision avoidance system now under development for large passenger and cargo-carrying aircraft, the news release stated.
The tests showed the system has the ability to detect and avoid other aircraft, both manned and unmanned, the release said.
During flight, detect-and-avoid capabilities use information from airborne and ground-based sensors to make pilots aware of potential collision risk and provide guidance for safe avoidance of those risks, it said.
The flight tests were a collaboration between AiRXOS, a GE venture; Fortem Technologies; GE Aviation; GE Global Research; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab; MIT Lincoln Laboratory; the FAA TCAS Program Office; AX Enterprize; the New York UAS Test Site in Oneida County and NUAIR Alliance.
"Through this successful demonstration, these partners have helped the unmanned systems industry reach another milestone," retired Maj.Gen. Marke "Hoot" Gibson, chief executive officer of the NUAIR Alliance, said in the release. "These collaborative efforts support the research and development critical to the safe integration of unmanned systems in the national airspace. Together we are advancing the industry as a whole and furthering this region's position as a national leader for UTM technologies."
The New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss has been at the forefront of research to make it safe to fly drones beyond visual line of sight, public policy development, commercialization and safe integration of UAS into the global airspace.
Griffiss and NUAIR alliance are tasked with concentrating on the UAS industry's inability to comply with "see and avoid" flight requirements because of the lack of an on-board pilot.
The research and development in Rome has encouraged a lot of local, state, federal and private investment that has allowed NUAIR Alliance to make progress on that challenge.
That work, along with the developing drone corridor between Rome and Syracuse, have positioned Griffiss as a leading test site for the emerging industry.
©2018 Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
