Issues and Challenges for Co-operative UAV MissionsChris Halliday and Tony Dodd

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Overview• Co-operative UAV missions• The Challenges• The Issues• Command, Control and

Communications• Concluding remarks

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Large area: search and rescue

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Large area: search and rescue• Need to communicate with central

command

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Combat Missions

[3]

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Combat Missions• Search and destroy• Combat search and rescue

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Urban

[1]

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Urban• Need to use existing communications• Results of US study• Is a communication infrastructure

even in place?

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Agriculture, remote sensing, survey etc.

[4]

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Agriculture, remote sensing, survey etc.• Must use licensed frequencies• Need for low cost solutions

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

UAV Formation Flying/Refueling

[2][5]

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

UAV Refueling• Piloted tanker-to-UAV• UAV tanker-to-piloted aircraft• UAV-to-UAV• Multiple UAV refueling• Very close co-ordination required

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

The Challenges• Autonomous navigation• Complex and dynamic mission planning• Collision and obstacle avoidance• Task allocation and dynamic reconfiguration• High level control and co-ordination of flight

operations• Mixed assets and human interaction• Close formation flying

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

The Issues• Communications: need to work within

national regulations• Allowable frequencies and powers different in

different regions• Severe limitations on range• Problems in urban environments – interference

(results of US study)• Ad hoc comms networks

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Mixed manned/unmanned systems• Need for C3• Remote operation/C3 – reliable,

problem, unhumanised (kill at 10,000km)

• Operator workload - multiple UAVs• Airspace and safety – UAVs operating in

mixed airspace

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Mixed air-sea-ground systems

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

C3

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Communications• GPS – location (but what about

urban)• Inter-vehicle comms – information

sharing, deconfliction, mission planning…

• Back-to-base

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Formation Flying• Routine for piloted aircraft

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Issues• Different UAVs will have different

capabilities - Global Hawk vs MAV• Different users have access to

different techologies/legal frequencies

• Makes very difficult to standardise

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Multi-vehicle• Ground, sea and air

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Dynamic Mission Planning• Autonomous navigation• Mission planning• Task allocation• Co-ordination

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Search and destroy mission• Reasons for being dynamic

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Work on this• GAs and other evolutionary

algorithms…

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

Concluding Remarks• Legislation• Certification

5 December 2007 IET Seminar on Communicating with UAVs

References[1] http://vwt.d2g.com:8081/raven%20UAV.jpg [2] http://www.bihrle.com/site/products_d6_success9.html[3] http://www.afa.org/magazine/dec2003/1203uav.asp[4] http://www.aerosonde.com/[5] http://www.cs.uwyo.edu/~dspears/surv_pub/