The ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) was used to conduct humpbackwhale surveys in non-segregated civilian airspace. Using an unmanned aircraftfor aerial surveys is thought to have many benefits, which includes eliminatingthe risk to the pilots that traditionally perform manned aerial surveys. AUAS may also be better suited to performing long-duration and repetitive surveytasks. Operating a UAS in non-segregated civilian airspace is challenging. Oneproblem is the lack of knowledge about the location and the intent of the otherairspace users. The pilots of manned aircraft are required to see and avoid otheraircraft. The lack of an on-board pilot means that UAS need a capability to senseand avoid (SAA) other aircraft. Unfortunately, on-board SAA solutions forsmall UAS are difficult to implement due to the restrictions on the space, weightand power (SWAP) available on-board the unmanned aircraft. One alternative isto use off-board systems for SAA.A series of humpback whale surveys was conducted approximately 23 NM froman international airport. This meant that the operating environment included awide variety of cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft that were performing avariety of missions. Thus, the environment was also ideal for demonstrating thebenefits of Ground-Based Sense And Avoid (GBSAA) support for UAS operations.The Mobile Aircraft Tracking System (MATS) is a mobile, network-enabled airtraffic surveillance system. The MATS consists of a primary surveillance radarand other sensors that track cooperative aircraft. The MATS provides GBSAAsupport to the ScanEagle by providing information about the local airspace usersto the UAS pilot. During the surveys most aircraft approached or departed fromthe international airport. Some aircraft, however, did approach the operationalarea of the UAS. Thus, the results from operating the MATS during the surveysdemonstrate that GBSAA systems can provide valuable support for UAS operationsin non-segregated civilian airspace.
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