Swiss pilots try new ATC Procedures

I discovered this piece of news about a Swiss flight that used a new ATC technology that allows pilots to provide their own separation services while on an instrument flight plan.

I'll admit that I'm not all that familiar with oceanic ATC procedures, but what drew me to this was more the implications for the FAA's NextGen Airspace. From what I understand of the program, the FAA intends to automate much of the en-route ATC system, and this appears to be a step in that direction. If this is successful, I can eventually see the system being included first on Airliners, and eventually (like TCAS) all IFR-certified aircraft will have this system. It also has implications for the proliferation of UAS into the national airspace, as UAS pilots can have a clearer situational awareness of surrounding traffic and maneuver around them. We have yet to discover how reliable this system is, but it certainly shows great promise.

12 in '12: FAA Re-Authorization Bill to open airspace to drones

The recently-passed FAA re-authorization bill mandates that UAS integrate into the US Airspace within 3 years. This is a major victory for UAS manufacturers who will be seeing a major decline in sales now that the Iraq war is over and Afghanistan is winding down.

In 2009, the FAA's re-authorization mandated full integration of UAS into the national airspace in five years (2014). However, three years later there is still no published progress in this area. As is well known, the biggest hinderance to integration is the lack of a capable see-and-avoid system so UAS can avoid colliding with other aircraft. This could be solved by mandating the use of an IFF/TCAS system on all aircraft, or having all UAS fly on an instrument flight plan. However, neither of these solutions are plausible in the current airspace environment. An instrument flight plan works well for a Predator- or Global Hawk-sized aircraft. For smaller vehicles such as Shadow 200s, Ravens or other small UAS will likely make up the majority of the national UAS fleet do not carry transponders, and the missions they will perform will be locally launched, locally operated. Additionally, there aren't enough controllers to handle the added workload of so many UAS operating in their airspace on local missions.

The only difference between now and 2009 is that the US drawdown overseas is closing or severely limiting the UAS market in the military. Therefore, its politically expedient to open UAS operations in the national airspace so a new business sector can open up. This will allow the UAS industry to keep production levels, and limit layoffs. These are important political tools in the ongoing recession.

12 in '12: Northrop Grumman fighting Global Hawk Block 30 Cancellation

As previously reported, the Air Force wants to cut the Block 30 Global Hawks as part of their ongoing budget cuts. Since this budget is not yet official, only a proposal, Northrop Grumman is challenging their cancellation. Although the Air Force has reported that the aircraft cannot perform reliably, and that the U-2 fleet is now cheaper to maintain by at least an order of magnitude. As Flight Global reports, Northrop is maintaining that the USAF's methodology is flawed.

Commentary:
I understand why Northrop would want to fight this. Asian and European nations have expressed an interest in the GlobalHawk platform, and any negative press from the Air Force can negatively impact that expected procurement. However, I believe it when the Air Force says that the aircraft is having issues accomplishing its mission, and I also believe that their projections of costs are accurate. In my day job I work with UAS. They are a great tool for both tactical intelligence, and science acheivement. However, the cost of operating a small UAS per hour is equal to a larger general aviation aircraft (such as a BE-55). Therefore, the reported $4,000 difference between the U-2 and RQ-4 is believable. Additionally, the U-2 is bought and paid for several times over, whereas the RQ-4 is less than a decade old.

In my previous commentary, I only asserted that cutting a UAS capability is a bad idea. This was before I realized that this did not impact the Block 40 Global Hawk. The Block 40 Global Hawk is a much improved aircraft with a new sensor package, and designed to fit US Navy and Marines requirements as well as Air Force. This new capability increases interchangeability among the services and keeps costs down while allowing the US to maintain its UAS lead.

Northrop has every right to protest this sale, but the expected procurement of the now-inter-service Block 40 Global Hawk lessens the sting of this cut.