Northrop Grumman to Install Collision Avoidance System Into Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAS
After receiving a $9.6 million contract, Northrop Grumman will install an Automatic Response Module of the Airborne Collision Avoidance System X (ACAS X) into the avionics system of the U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAS.
As Navy spokeswoman Jamie B. Cosgrove explained to Defense Systems, the ACAS X will help the Triton navigate the skies safely.
“This technology will help keep Triton safely separated from civil and military aircraft and mitigate risks for inflight collisions,” Cosgrove said.
Developed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the ACAS X uses sensor measurements from onboard surveillance systems to detect and track aircraft, and estimate the location of close aircraft using advanced tracking algorithms.
According to the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, to examine potential collision risks, “ACAS X uses computer-optimized logic lookup tables that capture each possible state in the probabilistic state distribution.” The tables then create a cost for each action to determine whether or not a collision avoidance alert is necessary. If an alert is necessary, a guide for pilots is provided to draw out the best actions to safely move forward.
Back in September, the Triton successfully completed a Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) led review, while also achieving a positive Milestone C low-rate initial production approval. A tentative deployment date for the UAS has been set for 2018.
