42 Technology focus | Uncrewed Aircraft System Traffic Management existing flight plan and then release the autopilot back to the original one. As the intruder may change direction or altitude, the system needs to be able to recalculate several times a second. This is achieved by having one server handle the sensors, usually radars, and another for user interface and calculation. The required processing power can be scaled in the cloud to handle the number of sensors and vehicles in the air. Integrating radar systems from different suppliers into the UTM is another key challenge. UTM developers work with the radar makers, writing a parsing component for each radar model. Some of these can be used across multiple models such as the Asterix 2D data format, but a more generic approach is to use JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) to pull the specific data required by the UTM out of the radar sensor. The radar-based approach has been tested with over 1000 aircraft, but the UTM typically only has to handle 20-30 UAVs at a time in a specific geographical area. Up to 10,000 flight plans can be simulated in the system to demonstrate that the UTM can cope with larger numbers. For a large city, the system can scale in the cloud and take data from other sensors using Flight Information Management System (FIMS) and Discovery and Synchronization Service (DSS) data-exchange formats. Gateways and bridges FIMS is a gateway for data exchange between UTM participants and air traffic management systems (ATM), through which the ATM can provide directives and make relevant National Airspace System (NAS) information available to UAV operators via the UTM network. The ATM also uses this gateway as an access point for information about operations as required and it is informed about any situations that could have an impact on the wider airspace. FIMS provides a mechanism for common situational awareness among all UTM participants and it is a central component of the overall UTM ecosystem. FIMS is a central, cloud-based component that acts both as a bridge to the NAS and as a broker of information between stakeholders and participants. Connections to FIMS are made via a UTM service provider (UTMSP) that meets minimum certification requirements. These UTMSPs support the entire lifecycle of a UAV mission flown by UAS operators. Data connections and communications between the UTMSP and FIMS are internet-based, and they are built on industry standards and protocols to ensure interoperability between multiple instances of the operator systems. FIMS also acts as a central entity to which ATM and public services – major stakeholders – can directly input requests that affect the airspace, such as restrictions, but also extract information from the UTM system. August/September 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology AUTM under testing in the US (Image courtesy of Vigilant Aerospace) UAV operators often have their own UTM systems that need to integrate with other operators (Image courtesy of Zipline) As the intruder may change direction or altitude, the system needs to be able to recalculate several times a second… by having one server handle the sensors
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