GA-ASI tests DAA system aboard UAS

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has successfully tested a Detect and Avoid (DAA) system that includes its Due Regard Radar (DRR) on a Guardian UAS operated by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), it announced on 1 June.

The Guardian UAS is a maritime variant of the company's Predator B UAS. The operationally tested DAA also included the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Sensor Tracker specifically designed for the system by Honeywell.

The tests demonstrated the functionality of the DRR in a national/international airspace environment. The system was tested in simulated environments that included 'intruder' aircraft such as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and Cessna C-210 aircraft equipped with TCAS, Mode A/C Transponders and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder capabilities.

The intruders flew close to the Guardian. During each encounter, the on-board sensor data was downlinked to the pilot traffic display and was combined with DAA-specific alerts and guidance for safe separation between the Guardian and intruder aircraft.

The tests confirmed that the DAA system provided a picture of surrounding air traffic to the pilot that was comparable to the cockpit view on a manned aircraft. They also showed that the DAA can operate with other radar payloads in the same aircraft, such as the SeaVue maritime surface search radar onboard the Guardian.

CBP is the first customer to operationally use the DAA/DRR system from GA-ASI. It operates nine Guardian and Predator B UAS.

David Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI, said: 'The successful completion of our anti-collision radar system operational testing by CBP is a huge milestone for our DAA system as it represents the first integration and evaluation of DRR on an operational UAS.

'CBP's follow-on operational use of the DAA system in domestic and international airspace will further validate the work being done by the FAA and NASA to introduce RPA into the National Airspace System.'

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Guardian