Autonomous UAV Collision Avoidance

UAVs are perceived as a risk to existing aviation. Specifically it is assumed that a UAV cannot be flown in such a way as to react to collision avoidance situations in the same manner as a manned aircraft. It is further assumed that there are no costs in terms of dollars or in terms of general safety incurred by not allowing UAVs to fly. There are however significant costs incurred by not using UAVs for domestic missions and these costs can be quantified so that they can be considered as offsets for equipment or operational changes required to safely fly UAVs with general aviation. The FAA has indicated that before certifying a UAV for flight the UAV must be capable of collision avoidance in such a way as to be indistinguishable from a human operator. A sense and avoid system that can react to hazardous situations in the same manner as a human pilot will be developed and integrated into small UAVs so they can meet the FAA requirements and begin being implemented fully into the national defense strategy.