Australia was the first country in the world to regulate drones and remains at the forefront of the future of drone regulation. Aerial taxis and drones are emerging aviation technologies with significant potential to disrupt the transport of people and products around the world. To realise this potential, these platforms need to operate Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). Fundamental to that end-state is ensuring these platforms can be safely deconflicted which requires a combination of surveillance technologies and on-board Detect and Avoid (DAA).

 

Revolution Aerospace is pleased to publish a Detect and Avoid (DAA) Design, Test and Evaluation (DT&E) Guideline (Version 1.0) for low-risk Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operations in uncontrolled airspace outside the airport environment. An outline of the Guideline is provided in Figure 1 below. 

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This work was developed in partnership with Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS) through initial funding by Queensland Government, and subsequently the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) under the Emerging Aviation Technology Program.  

 

The primary objective of Guideline 1.0 is to furnish regulators, DAA manufacturers, and Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operators with a framework for approving or seeking approval for DAA systems tailored to the specifications outlined in the DAA DT&E Guideline Operational Services and Environmental Description (OSED).  

 

A secondary, but important objective is that the suite of documents acts as a consolidating reference that draws together significant portions of research done by key bodies around the world including the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), ASTM International, Mitre, NASA, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This work has underpinned significant portions of standards development, but it is often difficult for personnel new to the DAA environment to ascertain the rationale or basis for certain requirements that have evolved over time.  

 

The delivery of Guideline 1.0 represents a significant step in support of future UAS operations in Australia, providing a common reference point for key stakeholders to support planning, awareness-raising and engagement. This is why Revolution Aerospace and TAS were eager to ensure public access to these resources now, even as further work remains to be done.

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