Waltham, MA-based Raytheon Company and Santa Monica, CA-based AirMap, the leading global airspace intelligence platform for drones, have integrated AirMap’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) monitoring capabilities onto a working prototype of Raytheon’s next-generation air traffic controller workstation called Multi-platform ATC Re-hosting Solution, or MARS.
With this
integration, MARS now offers air traffic controllers streamlined access to UAS
monitoring designed to improve the safety of drone integration. The MARS
workstation integrates commercial off-the-shelf technologies into a
consolidated touchscreen display that provides access to multiple automation
applications at one workstation, without changing re-hosted applications.
“When drones
fly in controlled airspace, they’re sharing the skies with many other types of
aircraft,” said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon
Intelligence, Information and Services. “Air traffic controllers need
real-time airspace awareness and alerts to unusual drone activity; it’s a key
step on the path toward safe drone integration into the national airspace
system.”
AirMap’s
intelligent airspace management tools, such as real-time remote
identification, airspace authorization, and dynamic geofencing provide air
traffic controllers access to UAS flight data through automated digital
technologies.
In the virtual
demonstration, the AirMap technology alerts the MARS user of a drone
exhibiting unusual or non-conforming flight behavior within the controlled
airspace surrounding a major airport.
“Air traffic controllers, as well as UAS operators and manned aircraft pilots, need situational awareness,” said Ben Marcus, chairman and co-founder of AirMap. “With Raytheon, we’re working to optimize how controllers can be armed with information about UAS without burdensome increases in workload.”
Source: Raytheon
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