UAV Tests Will Now Be Safer

UAV Tests Will Now Be Safer

Photo US Air Force

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A new software will provide safety to UAV tests.  An autonomous test flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, tested a software suite designed to make unmanned aerial vehicle flight safer. The software that will serve as an autonomy safety net is called TACE, Testing Autonomy in a Complex Environment, and was developed by John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

The test is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Skyborg program developing software tool that allows engineers and researchers to develop autonomous capabilities. 

The TACE safety net programming sits between a vehicle’s safety critical control system and its mission system, according to edwards.af.mil. 

Proven algorithms keep the plane within safe bounds defined before takeoff. The idea is to let the autonomous test aircraft fly itself out of the safety bounds; the TACE program would then take over control of the airplane and take it to a safe point.

Earlier this year, ET-CTF conducted a TACE test on a smaller, lower-performance aircraft. That earlier test proved that the program works on a slower aircraft, one that flew at 30 knots. After the recent test, ET-CTF will eventually equip TACE on even larger, more powerful, full-size aircraft.