Full-Scale Flight-Test Results for a Rotorcraft Safe Landing Area Determination Algorithm for Autonomous and Piloted Landing Approaches

摘要

An important element in autonomous full-scale rotorcraft operations is safe landing area determination (SLAD) to find landing points at unprepared sites. This capability is also critical for optionally piloted rotorcraft where landing aides are essential for operations in severely degraded visual environments. This paper presents flight-test results from a new SLAD algorithm flown on the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) JUH-60A Black Hawk helicopter equipped with a nodding line-scanning LADAR. Eighty-six autonomous and manned approaches were flown to landing zones, many in rugged mountainous terrain. A detailed description of the algorithm and flight hardware is given, and sample results are shown for seven landing zones. Pilot interaction with the algorithm during approach and final landing point selection is also discussed.