Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to Autonomously Conduct Base Perimeter Inspections

nGrand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) is a sprawling installation on a 5,773 acre installation with 13 miles of perimeter fence-line. Many of these perimeter areas have limited monitoring capabilities due to a lack of grid power for fixed sensors and cameras. Installing sensors is impractical due to cost and time constraints and the remoteness of these areas.  The squadron deploys teams of Defenders to manually patrol these remote perimeter stretches.  The patrols equate to almost 3,000 hours per year dedicated to manual perimeter spot checks.  Blizzard, tornado, and windstorm conditions can cause physical harm and limit the times of the year when physical patrols can practically occur. Consequently, a criminal, terrorist, or espionage agent can exploit these opportunities and breach the perimeter in areas where there are no sensors or when Defenders are not on patrol. The 319 RW hosts strategic aircraft and assets such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and Space Development Agency facilities, which could come under threat. The 319 SFS has explored deploying small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to streamline force protection activities, however Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and base safety concerns prevent the technology’s broader adoption.  Airtonomy, Inc. proposes a SBIR Direct to Phase II project to develop, test, and evaluate a first-of-its-kind sUAS automation capability to streamline and expand the perimeter security activities at GFAFB. For this project, Airtonomy, Inc. will conduct non-recurring research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) to develop a fully-functioning sUAS autonomous flight routine for the base’s security forces. With the fully developed capability, Defenders will be able to dispatch a sUAS on supervised autonomous aerial perimeter security flights instead of deploying its Defenders for hours on end in harsh environmental conditions. The proposed solution will include the creation of security assets within the UNITI platform. Using a Blue sUAS, a pilot will be able to launch an inspection of the base perimeter or a section. Pilots will have a simple-to-use interface that allows them to launch work at the push of a button. The flights will include do not fly zones as well as specific camera control to ensure that only the relevant areas are photographed. Upon completion of the flight, the drone will land and then automatically upload all captured data to UNITI where it will be automatically associated with the real-world asset. This will include Computer Vision algorithms to detect human activity, fence defects, and vegetation along the fence line. The mission impact of this project will be to expand security situational awareness, provide a manpower force multiplier, and streamline manual security activities using sUAS automation that ultimately keeps air bases and DoD installations safe from attacks.