Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System

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Footage from the head-up-display of a U.S. Air Force Arizona Air National Guard F-16 records a save by the aircraft's Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) during a training mission, the fourth confirmed by the NASA-designed system. From an altitude of just over 17,000 feet (5,182 m), the pilot executes an 8.1g maneuver which causes the pilot to lose consciousness. After the aircraft enters a steepening dive in full afterburner for twenty seconds, Auto-GCAS intervenes with a recovery maneuver at 8,760 feet (2,670 m), 652-knot (750 mph; 1,208 km/h; 335 m/s) and nose-down almost 55 degrees below the horizon.

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) enhances safety by mitigating controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents.[1] The Auto-GCAS team was awarded the 2018 Collier Trophy for the design-integration and flight testing in the F-35, marking the year's greatest achievement in aeronautics.[2] This team includes the Air Force Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Joint Program Office, the Defense Safety Oversight Council, and NASA.[2]

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System uses inputs from terrain mapping, aircraft location, and automation to avoid ground collisions. The Auto-GCAS system detects imminent ground contact and warns the pilot. If there is no pilot response, the Auto-GCAS takes control, maneuvering to avoid ground contact. When on a safe trajectory, with pilot awareness, control returns to the pilot.[3] Pilot unresponsiveness can be attributed to many factors including: distraction, task saturation, incapacitation, and unconsciousness. The Auto-GCAS system successfully reduced the leading cause of F-16 pilot fatalities.[3]

NASA started working on Auto-GCAS starting in 1997.[4] The system was then jointly developed at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works[3] and at NASA. In July 2019, seven years ahead of schedule, Lockheed Martin began integration of Auto-GCAS into the F-35 fleet.[5]

References

  1. ↑ AFRL - Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT).  WPAFB.  Retrieved from wpafb.af.mil
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error: bad argument #1 to "get" (not a valid title).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Saving the Good Guys with Auto GCAS Technology.  Lockheed Martin.  Retrieved from Lockheedmartin.com
  4. ↑ NASA-Pioneered Automatic Ground-Collision Avoidance System Operational.  (February 11, 2015)  NASA.  Retrieved from NASA.gov
  5. ↑ Lockheed Martin integrates ground collision avoidance system in F-35A.  (July 25, 2019)  Retrieved from airforce-technology.com
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