Army Research Laboratory

Terry Jameson

US Army Research LaboratoryComputational and Information Sciences Directorate

White Sands Missile Range, NMDSN 258-3924, Commercial 505-678-3924

tjameson@arl.army.mil

12 Apr 06

Progress in the Development of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

Weather Tactical Decision Aid

WSMR Stallion AAF UAS

Met Support

Background HAFB 46th TG/PSL ATDSS-II Test Program

• “Aerostar” UAS (General Dynamics, AeronauticDefense Systems, LTD)

• “See-and-avoid” sensor

• WSMR Controlled Airspace, Stallion AAF

• Intruder Aircraft Flight Ops

• “Piggy-backed” UAS Weather TDA Testbed

• MET Support/Flight Ops Briefings

• Nov 05, Jan 06, Feb 06 field test participation

November 2005 Aerostar UAS Flight Test, WSMR Stallion AAF

TDA Investigations/Flight OPS Met Support

PC-based IWEDA (implemented on laptop)

MM5 sub-domain focused on actual OPS area

Zipped IWEDA script file e-mailed to Stallion - daily

Rule set adapted to Aerostar UAS

AFWA 5km MM5 runs – AOI centered over Stallion

Outlooks, forecasts, updates provided on-site or viaphone call

OutlineOutline

• Where are we today in operational support to unmanned aircraft in the Army?

• Where do we want to go?

• How will we get there?

Today’s UAS Weather Support ShortfallsToday’s UAS Weather Support Shortfalls

NOT NECESSARILY

TAILORED TO UAS-UNIQUE

AND SPECIFIC WEATHER

REQUIREMENTS!

Mission Planning

DD Form 175-1 is standard weather briefing medium

Text only• Generalized locations of hazards• Requires pilot/operator to “visualize” enroute and target area weather from text on form.

Upcoming technology solves some text-only briefing problems:

• Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS), Joint Flight Weather Briefer (JFWB), and Joint Environmental Toolkit (JET)…• Adds some graphics• Adds some data automation• Improves the weather database used for flight weather briefings, thus improves weather forecasts

Example of forecast flight path cross-section based on forecast model data.Depicts horizontal/vertical distribution of clouds, turbulence and winds.

CURRENT TECHNOLOGY: Air Force Weather Agency’s Web Page Capability

Enroute Weather Depictions

Army’s Integrated Meteorological System (IMETS) and Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (IWEDA) UAS Products

1-D depiction of impacts over time

2-D distribution of impacts at a fixed time

2-D depiction of forecast surface winds at a fixed time

Forecast & Effects Decision Aids

AF Operational Weather Squadron Web Page Capability

Regional/Theater Weather Depictions

Regional scale turbulence forecast shows unfavorable flying conditions across Korea for unmanned aircraft.However, finer-scale, localized, and more timely forecasts (from mesoscale models and in the future, Weather Running Estimate-Nowcast) tailored to unmanned aircraft missions can reveal favorable flying conditions.

From UAS Roadmap, 2005-2030Office of the Secretary of Defense, Aug05

From UAS Roadmap, 2005-2030Office of the Secretary of Defense, Aug05

• Goals for unmanned aviation:

• #7: Improve adverse-weather UA capabilities to provide higher mission availability and mission effectiveness rates

• RECOMMENDATION:

• Incorporate and/or develop all-weather practices into future UA designs

From 88th Weather Squadron Tech Report: Analysis of Weather Sensitivities and Support Requirements for Small and Micro Unmanned

Aircraft Systems (88WS/TR-05/002)• A specialized approach to support UAS operations incorporating research,

development, and training needs will advance DoD 2005-2030 UAS Roadmap goal #7.

• Weather support to small and micro UA requires specialized support

• Not being met today!

WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO?

• Development of TDA technology to incorporate tailored weather support to UAS flights.

GOAL: Improve UAS Mission Success Rates!

• Integrate weather impacts with UAS mission profiles

• Depict weather impacts along the mission route

• Determine optimal flight path; avoiding unfavorable weather conditions

• M2M Capabilities

Platform Protection

SensorPayload

Selection

Sensor Collection

Forecast& Effects

Decision Aids

En RouteWeather UpdatesMission

Planning & Execution

Weather Supportto the UAS Mission

From Pre-launchto Post-recovery

Weather Supportto the UAS Mission

From Pre-launchto Post-recovery

Operator Tasking

INTEL Analysis

WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO?

Technology GoalsSupport to the UAS Platform and Operators for:

Technology GoalsSupport to the UAS Platform and Operators for:

• Aircraft mission operating capabilities (icing, cross winds, turbulence, … warnings and avoidance)

• Target and recovery area navigation (visibility, clouds, dust, fog, haze…) so operator doesn’t lose navigation bearing or visual orientation

• Survivability, including enemy acquisition of the UAS platform… How far can the UAS be seen & heard? Where are radar dead zones due to refractive ducting, etc.?

• Enroute obstacles and no-go area constraints (terrain limits and unfavorable weather conditions…)

• Fuel consumption, max range, max loiter time over target, quickest/safest routing with respect to weather conditions…

• Max payload weight and aircraft climb rate in current weather conditions…

• Weather-impacted communications: How far can the aircraft travel from its telemetry and control links?

Technology GoalsSupport to the UAS Payload Package:

Technology GoalsSupport to the UAS Payload Package:

• Target approach: How close must the imaging payload be to see its target? TAWS-like acquisition range, target area cloud ceilings, cloud-free line-of-sight, precip, etc.

• Best route/altitudes to target: What angles of approach provide the best view for onboard sensors? (best contrast, least optical turbulence, least sensor vibration…)

• Target acquisition: Target/background contrast change in visible and IR (IRTSS capabilities?)

• Detection: How far away can an INTEL source EO/IR/radar/radio signal be detected passively (atmospheric effects on EM propagation…)

• Weather Impacted Communications: How far away can the payload get from its data downlink?

HOW WILL WE GET THERE?

Nesting Nowcast 0-3hr Database.Automated refresh of forecast 4-D cube for TDA pre-mission & enroute updates.

LOCAL SENSORSSurface Data SensorsUpper-Air SensorsUAS MET Sensors

Theater-scale JET-provided forecast model database…Joint Virtual METOC Data Cube 4-D gridded fields of weather parameters

GENERAL SUPPORT CONCEPT

Text, Graphic, & Digital Decision Aid Products for

manual and automated applications.

The R&D ConceptThe R&D Concept

• Combine 4-D UA path with 4-D weather forecast cube. Calculate weather adverse impacts on flight path.

• Visualize impacts along UA path using red, amber, green and fly-through weather icons showing weather limitations based on each UA’s critical weather thresholds.

• Develop/implement route optimization scheme for determination of “best” course given user constraints and forecast weather.

• Weather INtelligence – Routing = WIN-R

New Flt Path Options;Avoiding Enrte Hazards

New 4-D Weather Forecast Grid

Integrating Weather Impacts Into Mission Profiles

4-D Weather Impacts Grid

Aircraft-SpecificWeather Impacts Threshold Rules

+ =

4-D Weather Impacts Grid

+ =Initial/Current Flight Path

Altered Flt Path (if needed)

Acoustic Tactical Decision Aid output showing areas (green) where a UAV can be heard by a ground observer. The decision aid will use local terrain, gridded forecast model data, and aircraft-specific acoustic signature data to produce the output related to the color contours.

ADDING OTHER WEATHER IMPACTS CAPABILITIES

UAS Point-of-View of target area.

Target Area ObscuredCloud LayerTops 4000 ftBases 500 ft

UAS Point-of-View during

return leg

UAS Weather TDA 4-D visualization for

mission profile.

UAS Weather TDA 4-D visualization for

mission profile.

DeparturePoint

DeparturePoint

Target AreaTarget Area

Moderate IcingFlight Level 9000 – 11000 ft

Light TurbulenceFlight Level 7000 to 11000 ftCloud Layer

Tops 12000 ftBases 7000 ft

“Optimized” Flight PathWeather INtelligence – Routing = WIN-R

• Original planned flight path routes through “red” or “unfavorable” conditions

• Automated flight route optimization algorithms to provide alternate routes around, over, under unfavorable conditions

• Look for the “greenest” or “most favorable” path

• Solution is an “all-weather” option to increase mission success rates.

• Technology applicable to ALL aircraft

Takeoff, T=0hr

FL040

Target Area 1T=3hrFL140

Target Area 2T=6hrFL100

Target Area 3T=9hrFL080

FL090

FL060

FL040

Landing, T=12hr

Plan

ned

rout

eAlte

rnat

e/

Opt

imiz

ed R

oute

Optimized FL050= GREEN

TAAC Area Of Interest (AOI)

TDA Testbed co-located with UAS Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC)

• Initial TDA Support Concept (Near-term FY06 deliverables):

• AFWA 5km MM5 grids• Stand-alone UAS rules-driven IWEDA• Acoustic Detection TDA tailored to UAS ops• IMETS and JAAWIN products• Army Air Maneuver Routing low-level target

approach visualizations (coming soon)• Test periods in Oct & Dec 05; Jan, Feb… 06

Current Demo Work

• Future work:

• Real-time weather obs assimilation from all sources (incl. on-board TAMDAR)

• Local 3-hr Nowcasts updating weather database and “correcting” local forecast grids in real time

• WIN-R capability - Customized, tailored, and automated flight route optimization for weather hazards avoidance.

• TDA available at all echelons with access to weather data “cube”

• Commercial Joint Mapping Tool Kit (C-JMTK) & FalconView compatible data, displays, & visualizations

• M2M Capabilities