For more than a decade, MTSI's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Team has been deeply entrenched in working on some of the Nation's most difficult issues and challenges associated with UAS airspace integration, system acquisition, technology development, testing, operations, training and certification. Our support spans across multiple government agencies to include: the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Intelligence Community (IC).
An overview of our UAS Core Competencies and some example projects are provided below:
Core Competencies
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Sense and Avoid Modeling and Simulation Capabilities
Sense and Avoid Flight Encounter Simulation Toolset (SAFEST)
Culminating from an eight year Internal Research and Development (IRAD) effort, MTSI has developed one of the industry's premier UAS Airspace Integration analysis tools. This simulation environment, known as SAFEST provides the capability to perform encounter probability, collision encounter, and SAA system analysis. SAFEST combines inputs describing the UAS mission, performance parameters, and SAA system characteristics combined with a realistic representation of the types, quantities, and flight characteristics of other National Airspace System (NAS) traffic to provide results applicable to a wide range of study objectives.
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Current Version: SAFEST Background Presentation - Revised 22 July 2010 (PDF) |
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SAFEST Brochure - Revised 15 February 2011 (PDF) |
Current and Previous Efforts
OSD Unmanned Systems Roadmap
MTSI compiles, edits, and publishes the Office of the Secretary of Defense Unmanned Systems Roadmap, which guides the future development of military unmanned systems (air, ground and sea) and related technologies to meet joint warfighter needs. The 2011 version of the Roadmap will be separated into a hardbound Roadmap looking out 25 years and a web-based searchable catalog of all existing DoD unmanned systems.
Department of Defense Airspace Integration Integrated Product Team (AI IPT)
MTSI supports DoD UAS Airspace Integration (AI) through the OSD(AT&L) UAS Task Force AI Integrated Product Team (IPT). The AI IPT mission is to review and assess operational requirements, identify acquisition solutions, assist in the development of UAS technical standards, and recommend training and policy changes necessary to fully integrate UAS into all necessary classes of airspace within the National Airspace System (NAS) in support of DoD requirements. In support of this effort, MTSI supports multiple IPTs working to solve the challenges associated with UAS Airworthiness, Operations, Pilot Qualifications, Sense and Avoid (SAA), Frequency and Spectrum, etc. MTSI also authors and edits the DoD Airspace Integration Plan outlining DoD's strategy for integrating UASs into the NAS.
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Airspace Integration Plan - March 2011 (PDF) | |
Airspace Integration Concept of Operations - Available early-mid 2011 |
Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS)
BAMS is the unmanned complement to the Navy's P-8, which together are the successor to its P-3 maritime patrol aircraft. The Navy selected the RQ-4N Global Hawk as the BAMS aircraft in 2008. MTSI supports the BAMS Program Office by developing the BAMS Airspace Integration CONOPs, managing mission requirements decomposition, developing use cases, developing the SAA certification plan, guiding the safety analysis effort and leading the Operator Working Group.
Global Hawk Sense and Avoid System Analysis
MTSI performed a quick-response modeling effort to quantify sensor and algorithm performance requirements for a Global Hawk (GH) collision avoidance capability. The study consisted of two primary encounter modeling elements: (1) a thorough characterization of the Global Hawk collision potential expected during NAS operations, and, (2) establishment of baseline SAA system performance requirements.
DHS Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) UAS Support
DHS CBP is deploying its Predator B UASs from the Canadian border to the Caribbean. MTSI is providing acquisition, engineering and operations support to develop UAS CONOPs, requirements and architectures; perform modeling & simulation and test & evaluation support; perform airspace safety analysis; support AMOC-B transition; and provide life cycle cost estimates for various platforms.