Trajectory Based Operations / Unmanned Aircraft Systems with existing commercial avionics

This paper describes design and implementation details and pertinent results from a recently delivered research project, Trajectory Based Operations (TBO)/Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that was led by Boeing Airspace and Operations Efficiency (AOE). TBO/UAS project's main purpose was to demonstrate and analyze the trajectory negotiation operational procedures and concepts involved in management and deconfliction of aircraft in the cruise phase of flight in Class A airspace. The research and development (R&D) activities represented in this project potentially apply to both manned and unmanned aircraft systems operations. The operational system environment was that of the expected air traffic management (ATM) system capabilities in the future; this was defined to include a Four Dimensional Trajectory Based Operations (4DTBO) system with negotiated trajectories supported by System Wide Information Management (SWIM). The outcome of the research was that a basic form of TBO could be implemented now with standard commercial avionics and Flight Management Computers (FMC) in the aircraft and current communications protocols, leading to significant fuel savings, but ANSP systems development would be required. With ground system decision support tools supporting 4DTBO in place, transition to full 4DTBO would be a matter of the aircraft upgrading their systems.