DLR and EADS Germany complete three-year technology demonstration phase for UAVs
Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are a step closer to being allowed into controlled airspace in Europe after the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) - working with EADS Germany - completed a three-year technology demonstration phase on 3 June.
An aircraft remotely controlled from the ground flew its final two sorties through controlled airspace between the airports of Braunschweig and Manching, southern Germany, using standard voice communications for air traffic control (ATC) instructions and a datalink to control the aircraft as if it were a UAV.
The aircraft, the DLR's VFW 614 ATTAS (advanced technology test aircraft), carried two safety pilots. On that day they carried out the take-off and landing because the autoland system was unserviceable, but said they did no additional flying. During the circuitous route between the two points, manoeuvres were flown and faults simulated, including the failure of voice communications between ATC and the remote controller pilots, and failure of the datalink for controlling the UAV itself. The fail-safe modes for both cases worked without the safety pilots intervening.
The DLR/EADS team has been working with German air traffic services provider DFS, which has required throughout that the UAV should be no different, from the controller's point of view, than a manned aircraft.
DFS human factors/simulations chief Andreas Udovic says that on some of the flights they have purposely not told the sector controllers which aircraft was the one taking part in the trial.
The UAV has to file a flight plan like an ordinary flight, and this is also entered into its control computer as part of its mission programme. It is then controlled by pilots operating a console on the ground that provides them with primary flight instruments and engine performance information. In this technology demonstrator, the voice communications between ATC and the pilots are received by the UAV and downlinked to the pilots via the same datalink that carries control and response signals.
If the pilot/ATC voice link fails, the UAV automatically squawks the radio failure code 7600, so it is treated as an aircraft that has lost communications.
If it has any other capability-influencing failure - including engine failure - it automatically squawks the emergency code 7700, and the vehicle's control computer is programmed with what it would do in either case - including diversion airfield procedures - which is compatible with the procedures that would be adopted by a conventional aircraft in the same circumstances.
The UAV can also recognise weather systems and can plan manoeuvres to avoid them, has a conventional traffic collision avoidance system, and can even strategically self-separate itself from other aircraft's planned trajectories.
DAVID LEARMOUNT / MUNICH
Source: Flight International
