Raytheon and AirMap have announced that the two companies have integrated AirMap’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) monitoring capabilities onto a working prototype of Raytheon’s next-generation Multi-platform ATC Re-hosting Solution (MARS) air traffic controller workstation.
The AirMap platform offers intelligent airspace management tools, such as real-time remote identification, airspace authorization, and dynamic geofencing. These automated digital technologies, integrated into the MARS workstation, provide air traffic controllers with streamlined access to UAS monitoring that enhances the safety of drone integration. The MARS workstation features a touchscreen display that provides access to multiple automation applications at one workstation, without changing re-hosted applications.
The integrated technology was recently showcased at the Air Traffic Control Association’s 2019 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. A virtual demo hosted on a MARS workstation alerted users of a drone exhibiting unusual or non-conforming flight behavior within the controlled airspace surrounding a major airport.
Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services, commented: “When drones fly in controlled airspace, they’re sharing the skies with many other types of aircraft. Air traffic controllers need real-time airspace awareness and alerts to unusual drone activity; it’s a key step on the path toward safe drone integration into the national airspace system.”
Ben Marcus, Chairman and Co-founder of AirMap, said: “Air traffic controllers, as well as UAS operators and manned aircraft pilots, need situational awareness. With Raytheon, we’re working to optimize how controllers can be armed with information about UAS without burdensome increases in workload.”
