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US DoD developing airborne SAA capability for UAVs

24th March 2015 - 10:00 GMT | by Shephard News Team

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The US Department of Defense (DoD) is developing airborne sense-and-avoid (SAA) capabilities for improving the agility and autonomous collision avoidance manoeuvring capabilities of UAVs.

Work in this area will assist the Federal Aviation Administration verify and validate minimum operation standards for air traffic control of these systems so that they can be safely integrated into the national airspace system.

Nearly $1.5 million is being funded by the air force's Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programme office to develop technologies that support the SAA programme. The office is focusing on electro-optical sensors for detecting and tracking potential obstacles. Defense Research Associates has conducted research that is expected to uncover other technologies to improve SAA systems and prepare them for initial low-rate production.

Apart from funding from the SBIR/STTR office, the SAA programme also uses over $2 million in additional funding from the Airborne Sense and Avoid programme managed by the air force's life cycle management centre at Wright-Patterson base. These funds will help to ensure the transition of the programme from Phase II to Phase III and into real-world military and commercial applications.

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