Xwing Joins FAA Study of Unmanned Systems Traffic Integration

The project is studying how commercial unmanned aerial systems interact with GA traffic and in complex operating environments.

Michael Wildes

Thursday, December 01, 2022 at 05:02 PM ET

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NASA is working with the FAA and other disaster response agencies to figure out how to integrate unmanned aerial systems and deploy an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) to improve disaster response efficiency. [Courtesy: Xwing]

Key Takeaways:

Autonomous aircraft company Xwing has partnered with the FAA and NASA on the COSTA project to study how commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) integrate with general aviation traffic in complex operating environments, such as wildfire fighting.
Xwing will conduct flight operations using its autonomous Cessna Caravan to collect data on UAS interaction with air traffic control, manned aircraft, and their ability to handle dynamic scenarios like pop-up TFRs.
The data gathered from these trials will be used by the FAA to develop rules and procedures for its Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) framework, aiming for the safe and efficient integration of autonomous flights into the national airspace.

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Autonomous aircraft company Xwing has been selected to participate in a study of how commercial unmanned aerial systems, such as its forthcoming autonomous aircraft, would interact with general aviation traffic and in complex operating environments, it announced Thursday.

The Crosscutting Operations Strategy and Technical Assessment (COSTA) project is spearheaded by the Federal Aviation Administration and also has support from NASA.