Sunhillo, an established provider of mission-critical air surveillance solutions, is bringing its expertise to the unmanned aviation sector with advanced data fusion and radar processing technologies.
In this Q&A, the company outlines how its systems reduce clutter in surveillance displays, enable seamless multi-sensor integration, and deliver portable solutions for tactical operations. From supporting Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) in complex airspace to preparing for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, Sunhillo highlights the innovations that are helping shape the safe and efficient integration of UAS into the national airspace.
How does Sunhillo’s surveillance data fusion technology enhance Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems, especially in complex airspace scenarios?
When operations utilize multiple sensors such as radars and ADS-B receivers, those coverage areas overlap causing multiple targets to be displayed for the same aircraft on a surveillance monitoring system. Multiple targets create display clutter and make managing the airspace difficult. Sunhillo’s Multi-Track Fuser processes multiple tracks from different sensors for the same target in order to correlate them into a single track. This prevents the user from seeing duplicate tracks cluttering the display. The Multi-Track Fuser supports up to 32 Sensors and provides continuous Track Data Filtering. Fused data can be output in various track formats, such as ASTERIX, or framed in SGF or ECGP.
What unique features of Sunhillo’s radar data processing products make them ideal for UAS and UAV applications?
Sunhillo’s radar data processing products are unique in multiple ways. The first is our products are radar agnostic supporting a wide range of formats and protocols built up over 30+ years of developing mission-critical air surveillance products. The second is our long history of deployments to the FAA and the US Military with our products deployed to every branch of the military and over 250 FAA Facilities. Sunhillo is bringing our highly reliable mission-critical FAA and Military technology to the UAS industry.
Could you discuss how Sunhillo’s radar systems support multi-sensor integration for enhanced situational awareness and traffic management?
Sunhillo’s Brigantine SGP can integrate multiple surveillance feeds from a wide range of radar, ADS-B and Remote ID sensors and can output the disparate radar sources in a single format that operations centers, or other users, can receive. For example, an operation may utilize 3 different radar brands and two different ADS-B receivers all outputting different formats directly into the Sunhillo Brigantine. The Brigantine ingests this data and performs surveillance format conversions to output the data in a format like ASTERIX, and other formats, that the surveillance monitor, or other users of the data, can ingest and display.
How does the 2U RAMS (Radar and ADS-B Monitoring System) Tactical Kit address the specific needs of tactical and field operations involving unmanned systems?
The 2U RAMS kit is a complete situational awareness system in a portable waterproof carry-on sized case. The base kit combines Sunhillo’s proven and deployed Margate II ADS-B Receiver, a powerful laptop running the Surveillance Monitoring System (SMS) display, and packages the system into a portable case. The base kit is dedicated for receiving and viewing ADS-B/UAT and with the optional Sunhillo Brigantine or RICI, the system can bring in radar for the complete situational awareness picture. To complete the turn-key ADS-B monitoring system, Sunhillo offers ADS-B Antenna and cable kits that are available in multiple configurations to support a variety of mission objectives.
As the unmanned aircraft industry evolves, how is Sunhillo adapting its products to meet the needs of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations?
Sunhillo is expanding its UAS product line by launching 2 new products, a cloud-based version of SureLine software which is essentially our Brigantine SGP in the cloud allowing digital only operations. Additionally, Sunhillo’s upcoming product, the SureSky Multi-Channel Receiver, will combine 3 channels in any combination of 1090 ADS-B, 978 UAT, and Remote ID (RID) housed in an IP67 waterproof container. This allows a single unit to receive all 3 formats in one compact pole-mountable case. Combine this with our Brigantine SGP (cloud or hardware) and the operator can bring in all 3 of these feeds plus local radar sources for situational awareness. Adding our Surveillance Monitoring System completes the infrastructure for a ubiquitous surveillance picture.
Sunhillo’s equipment is highly trusted by the FAA and can be used to accept the FAA NDP (NAS Defense Program) feed of radar data for UAS operations. This is currently being done by SkyVision in Ohio and various military installations. Receiving FAA radar feeds for UAS operations is the critical piece for UAS flight safety and eventual ATC integration.
Thank you for your time, it’s always great to talk to Sunhillo and we look forward to providing more coverage on your surveillance data distribution and conversion systems.
