A concept for an integrated mission management system for small air transport vehicles in the COAST project

Abstract

Small Air Transport (SAT) is emerging as suitable transportation means to allow efficient travel over a regional range, in particular for commuters, based on the use of small airports and fixed-wing aircraft with 5 to 19 seats, belonging to the EASA CS-23 category. In this framework, Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking, in the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, funded the project COAST (Cost Optimized Avionics SysTem), which started in 2016 with the aim of delivering key technology enablers for the affordable cockpit and avionics, while also enabling single-pilot operations for aircraft in the SAT domain. In the project, some relevant flight management technologies to support single-pilot operations are considered, namely the ones of tactical traffic separation and enhanced situational awareness, meteorological enhanced awareness, and pilot’s incapacitation emergency management. These technologies have been subject to a dedicated design and implementation process, based on an individual approach where each of them has been considered as independent and dedicated single-pilot operations enabling technology. Nevertheless, during the project execution, it emerged the opportunity to consider proper integration and enhancement of such technologies to design a unique Integrated Mission Management System (IMMS). Such IMMS technology has been considered as a potential solution to support the more effective and safe management of situations of pilot’s incapacitation during the flight, under single-pilot operations, and as a relevant step forward towards more autonomous aircraft. Based on these considerations, Clean Sky supported and funded proper extension of the COAST project scope, to include the design of the additional Integrated Mission Management System. This paper, therefore, aims to outline the main concepts implemented by the baseline individual technologies (Flight Reconfiguration System, Tactical Separation System, and Advanced Weather Awareness System) already considered in the COAST project and representing the basic building blocks towards IMMS and, after that, aims to introduce the IMMS motivations and opportunities. Furthermore, the paper describes the main functionalities expected to be implemented by the Integrated Mission Management System and, finally, the expected design and implementation process.