ENSCO Avionics To Support US Army’s Alert Display Subsystem For UAS

ENSCO Avionics will be utilizing the IGL and IData Tool Suite in the design and development of the Ground Based Sense And Avoid (GBSAA) Alert Display subsystem.

The Army developed the GBSAA as a more efficient means of complying with Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) regulations for flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in domestic airspace, the company announced in its press release on Tuesday.

Currently, the FAA requires aircraft in domestic airspace to be able to “sense and avoid,” which is a problem for unmanned aircraft with no pilot in the cockpit.

The Army currently complies with FAA rules by providing a visual ground observer or launching chase aircraft when unmanned aircraft are in flight. The new GBSAA will provide an alternative to these options.

The US Army plans to install a new GBSAA system at five Army installations by 2016 to ensure that its UAS will not conflict with other aircraft in domestic airspace. ENSCO Avionics began supporting the Army’s GBSAA program via a contract with SRC in Syracuse in October 2012.

This support then moved directly under Science Application International Corporation and the Army.