UAVs And The Homeland

The House Homeland Security oversight, investigations and management subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing tomorrow on using unmanned systems within the United States. According to the subcommittee's website, witnesses include:

Panel I

Mr. Todd E. Humphreys, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Panel II

Mr. Gerald Dillingham, Ph.D.

Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Government Accountability Office

Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel

Montgomery County (TX) Sheriff’s Office

Ms. Amie Stepanovich

Litigation Counsel, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Even though he isn't on the witness list, Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, released prepared testimony for tomorrow's hearing, which in part states:

In addition to safe operations, the industry is committed to building safeguards into UAS technology, such as "sense and avoid" systems and other innovations, which will enable a safe and orderly integration. For example, the U.S. Army recently completed a two-week evaluation of a Ground Based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) system at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The system uses 3-D radar and software algorithms to detect other aircraft flying in the vicinity of UAS, and safely steer UAS away from other aircraft. In both live and simulated tests, the system successfully recognized conflicts and navigated UAS away from other aircraft.

The GBSAA system provides a window into the type of "sense and avoid" technologies available for the U.S. domestic airspace. Meanwhile, the development of this particular system is ahead of schedule. The Army has said the GBSAA could be deployed as early as March 2014, one full year ahead of the Army's initial estimate of 2015.

Here's some related coverage from InsideDefense.com:

Successful Demo Could Enable More Drone Flights In U.S. Airspace
(Inside the Pentagon - 06/28/2012)

Forbes: Process Used To Fly Drones In U.S. Airspace Too Burdensome
(Inside the Pentagon - 06/21/2012)

DOD To Demo New Airborne Sense-And-Avoid Requirements For Drones
(Inside the Pentagon - 06/14/2012)

Kendall: Air Force Needs Greater Airspace Access For Unmanned Aircraft
(Inside the Pentagon - 06/14/2012)

Senate Panel Wants Annual Reports On UAS Airspace Integration Efforts
(Inside the Pentagon - 06/07/2012)

Report Details Integration Of UAS Into the National Airspace System
(Inside the Air Force - 06/01/2012)

And for InsideDefense.com's complete coverage of unmanned issues, click here.