The US Air Force plans to develop a modelling and simulation system that replicates US national airspace (NAS) in order to create procedures for the integration of unmanned air vehicles into non-segregated airspace.
The simulation would "permit modelling the 'knowns' - generic aircraft including communications, command and control performance for each class, flight rules, air traffic control rules etc - and providing 'parameter space' for the unknowns", says the USAF.
According to a request for information released by the Air Force Materiel Command, "safety of operations is the primary concern when remotely or autonomously operated aircraft are allowed to mix with conventionally controlled flights. There is currently no experience base on unmanned air systems that the Federal Aviation Administration can use to issue rules and guidance." It adds: "Given that there are currently no performance standards for sense-and-avoid systems, and no approval criteria for autonomous collision avoidance systems, it is unclear how to proceed in giving unmanned systems an equivalent level of safety to manned aircraft."
Source: Flight International
