uAvionix recently completed a complex demonstration of its SkyLine Command and Control (C2) control service in which unequipped aircraft systems (UAS) were controlled from the cloud-based C2 platform, while each of the aircraft was connected to SkyLine via simultaneous routes. to various terrestrial radios. The demonstration was conducted in coordination with the Chocktaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) UAS Test Center, a major player in FAA Beyond.
Avoiding a link loss situation is critical for operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Each radio and frequency has and does not depend on the geographical location and altitude of the operation. The uAvionix solution, which leverages address diversity and link diversity, focuses on preventing link loss conditions by enabling seamless and lossless switching between radio types.
Path diversity exists when radio frequency (RF) data has more than one physical trail to its destination. This can be achieved through more than one radio on board the aircraft, or more than one radio on the ground. The demonstration concerned the uAvionix microLink ISM radio on the aircraft, which offers a diversity of multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO) 2X2, 2 radios in one, with two separate antennas, each connected to several skyStation ISM radios on the ground, each of which is to 2X2-MIMO. The diversity of trails provides the most productive opportunities for a given link to succeed in its destination through more than one physical trail.
The diversity of links exists when there are other radios or frequencies. For this demonstration, in addition to the microLink/skyStation ISM frequency radios, uAvionix muLTElink provided LTE connectivity via its own internal 2X2 LTE MIMO. Therefore, in the aircraft, there is a diversity of wake and diversity of link because knowledge can succeed in its destination other radios (and frequencies) as well as other physical channels from one antenna to another.
The combination of link diversity and path diversity creates a self-healing, deterministic, low-latency network that is incredibly resistant to interference or interference due to the redundancy of pathways to transmit and receive knowledge. This complexity is controlled via skyLine C2 control platform, which provides operators with real-time statistics over the radio link, and allows automatic or manual “roaming” from radio to radio, on the air or on the ground.
“The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the unique Emerging Aviation Technology Center (EATC) with its vast and varied terrain is the best location to demonstrate the capabilities of muLTElink and SkyLine,” said Marc Hartman, Head of Aviation Operations at CNO, “With existing gaps in cellular coverage, it provides a real-world environment to showcase the unique ability of the muLTElink and SkyLine cloud service to provide transparency of command and control of an aircraft in a real environment. “
In addition to automated C2 management, uAvionix also used SkyLine to demonstrate built-in ground-based detection and avoidance (DAA) capability, adding CNO Detect HARRIER ™ ground-based number one radar data and multiple uAvionix pingStation3 ADS-B receivers to provide a whole picture of cooperative and non-cooperative airspace aircraft.
“The ability to provide radar and ADS-B knowledge built into a controlled C2 solution at the end of uAvionix’s C-band radios is a major contributor to our planned BVLOS operations here in the Choctaw Nation,” Hartman said.
The SkyLine formula was recently implemented as a C2 service provider for Vantis, North Dakota’s state BVLOS network. SkyLine is also located at the Oklahoma Emerging Aviation Technology Test Center, the New Mexico UAS Test Site and Energy UTM testing conducted through AIRmarket in Canada. More advertising operators are expected to subscribe to the SkyLine network in the very near future.
The muLTElink LTE C2 link manager is now available for beta testing. If you are interested in participating, please contact uas@uavionix. com. , DAA responses and autopilots, scale in uavionix. com/uas.