Industrial Research & Validation for Air-Ground Integration and Autonomy

The current ATM system and technologies are not designed to allow the accommodation or full integration of an increasing number of new forms of mobility and air vehicles that have a high degree of autonomy and use digital means of communication and navigation. This topic covers the industrial research required for the evolution of technologies and operational concepts in order to address this need.

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes.

• Environment. Optimised operations due to integrated 4D trajectory operations contribute to the related optimisation of fuel-burn and therefore of overall emissions per flight.
• Capacity. The main objective of the integration is to maintain capacity even following important changes in fleets (i.e. a shift from manned to unmanned).
• Cost-efficiency. Increased air–ground integration as per FF-ICE TBO supports the introduction of higher levels of automation in ATM; the implementation of higher levels of automation, when adopted consistently, will contribute to operational harmonisation and eventually to the cost-efficiency of the ATM system. A service-based approach and a well-defined required service level (e.g. for CNS services) will also help to achieve cost-efficiencies. Developments on the cockpit side will support a reduced crew operations concept, potentially unlocking significant cost savings for AUs.
• Operational efficiency. Advanced communication means (e.g. agile frequency transfer, system-to-system dialogues) and increased automation (reduced workload for ATCOs and flight crews/remote pilots) will contribute to increased operational efficiency. Trajectory management as per the FF-ICE 2 TBO concept will improve flight efficiency, particularly in the vertical domain, and reduce cruising/taxiing fuel consumption when flights are subject to queuing.
• Safety. Operational safety is positively impacted by the design of new operations providing advanced separation management; increased automation enables human actors to be discharged from routine tasks and to focus on strategic tasks, including oversight of the safety of operations.

To achieve the expected outcomes, all or some of the following should be addressed.

• Next generation airborne avionics platforms enabling autonomy: This element will involve the development of integrated airborne avionics platforms leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and enabling the safe integration of autonomous airborne operations (single-pilot operations, RPAS and HAO) into the ATM system (R&I needs: single-pilot operations; enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance; integration of drones into all classes of airspace; super-high-altitude-operating aerial vehicles). It includes, for example, the following features.
  • Advanced airborne systems supporting single-pilot operations: in order to operate safely with a reduced crew, safety systems will be a key enabler to trigger back-up modes in case of incapacitation, stress or exhaustion of crew members. This involves the development of systems such as augmented and virtual reality for smart/enhanced visual operations, airborne digital assistants, connected FMS, multi-sensor navigation, airborne collision avoidance, automated ATC communication and frequency management.
  • Autonomous navigation in all phases of flight (landing, taxi and take-off, approach in all conditions with limited ground infrastructure).
  • Advanced airborne systems supporting RPAS and HAO integration into ATM, such as data communication, airborne safety nets, DAA and remain well clear functionalities.
• Air–ground integration enabling future operations. This element will involve the development of operational solutions allowing for the safe integration of autonomous airborne operations (single-pilot operations, RPAS and HAO) into the ATM system (R&I needs: single-pilot operations; enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance; integration of drones into all classes of airspace; super-high-altitude-operating aerial vehicles). It includes, for example, the following.
  • Operations for safe return to land in single-pilot operations. This will involve the specification of the conditions under which pilot incapacitation is declared and how this is handled by the various actors involved (including in the aircraft, the airline operation centre and ATM) and of the role of the ground assistant when the pilot is in command.
  • Operations for FOC–wing operations centre (WOC)–ATC connectivity in single-pilot operations. This will involve addressing the expected role of the FOC/WOC in the case of abnormal situations involving single-pilot operations requiring their connection to ATC centres to support safe return to land, even in a congested traffic environment.
  • Operations enabling the integration of drones into all classes of airspace. This covers the integration with cooperative and non-cooperative traffic of small vehicles mainly operating at very low level close to urban areas and airports, as well as large vehicles, such as RPAS, used for both civil and military applications.
  • Operations for super-high-altitude-operating aerial vehicles. This involves safe and efficient separation management and entry and exit procedures through segregated or non-segregated airspace.
• Operations for safe dialogue between controller and pilot with ML and speech-to-text-to-speech techniques (R&I needs: integrated 4D trajectory automation in support of TBOs; enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance; complex digital clearances). The aim is to:
  • replace the controller’s voice with messages that can be directly understood and executed by on-board avionics, reducing the execution time for controller directives and misunderstandings on the part of pilots;
  • perform surveillance of pilot–controller dialogues, in order to detect any misunderstanding between them.
• Integrated 4D trajectory automation in support of TBOs. This element will involve the development of a common 4D trajectory, shared between every application that needs to process each flight, and updated by every application acting upon that flight, to underpin ground-provided ATM information (R&I needs: integrated 4D trajectory automation in support of TBOs; ATM–U-space convergence; enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance; complex digital clearances). It includes, for example:
  • applications for 4D trajectory synchronisation and ATM–U-space convergence to facilitate access and operations in controlled airspace;
  • trajectory management during the execution phase, including a contribution to the development of the ICAO’s FF-ICE 2 TBO concept;
  • gate-to-gate data-driven trajectory prediction and conflict detection/resolution.