The Defense Innovation Unit and a slew of collaborators have demonstrated drone flight operations that incorporate mesh radios and satellite technology to enable data-sharing between unmanned aerial systems.
The test was performed over three days in June at the New York UAS Test Site, where select Blue UAS platforms, including AgEagle’s eBee Vision and Skydio’s X2D, were integrated with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Collaborative Low-Altitude UAS Integration Effort Uncrewed Traffic Management — or CLUE UTM — system to exhibit how drones can securely operate anywhere in the world, DIU said Friday.
Technologies employed at the flight tests include Somewear Labs’ multinetwork device, which transmits drone telemetry data to the CLUE UTM system; UXV Technologies’ Soldier Robotic Controller ground control stations for operating and controlling unmanned vehicles; and the QGC-Gov open source UAS ground control station software.
The CLUE UTM system enables combining telemetry data with other data feeds such as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, counter-UAS sensors and nearby radars to provide enhanced situational awareness for air traffic deconfliction, flight area allocation, Federal Aviation Administration compliance and drone identification.
“As the usage of small UAS aiding warfighting functions continues to expand, it is becoming increasingly important to confidently distinguish between those UAS trusted to be used for DoD missions and those that just happen to be in our airspace,” said David Michelson, autonomy portfolio director at the DIU.
