The Federal Aviation Administration wants to convene experts and explore research on multiple-unmanned aircraft systems operations as the agency works to prepare for an increasingly crowded national airspace.
A June 7 request for information from the agency outlines a plan for a two-day meeting of various stakeholders in the drone industry and academia to help the FAA address the “technological, human factors, and policy barriers to [UAS] operations.”
The gathering will take place on Sept. 18-19 and will focus on the usage, challenges and utility of multiple-UAS operations. According to the RFI, the agency is particularly interested in research and discussion on control station designs, preplanned UAS actions and “detect and avoid” features for formation flight.
Request for Information (RFI), Research in Multiple Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations
Solicitation Number: 30416
Agency: Department of Transportation
Office: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Posted: 7 June 2018
Responses Date: 13 July 2018
The purpose of this RFI is to solicit information on research and methods to safely conduct multiple-UAS operations in the NAS. No statement of work or procurement is anticipated.
This announcement provides the opportunity for academia and industry to participate in a Science and Research Panel (SARP) of the UAS Executive Committee (EXCOM) Request for Information and Open Day for Multiple-UAS operations research. The results of the Open Day will serve to inform SARP research, workshops, and recommendations for control and NAS integration of multi-UAS operations.