Fast-Time Numerical Validation of an ADS-B Based Automatic Separation Assurance and Collision Avoidance System

In this paper, an automatic ADS-B based system for Separation Assurance (at tactical level) and Collision Avoidance (at emergency level) and for enhanced Remote Pilot's Situational Awareness is conceptually presented and the numerical results of the application of the designed system to conflict and collision scenarios with respect to surrounding traffic are presented and discussed. The test results address some numerical validation campaigns carried out by means of fast-time simulations in Matlab/Simulink software environment. In the paper, therefore, first the conceptual design of the proposed system is reported and, then, the description is provided of the numerical validation campaigns that have been carried out, with particular reference and specific details about some relevant test cases. The obtained results are reported and discussed, in order to emphasize the performances and limitations of the proposed system and to indicate the ideas for its further development and improvement. Both Collision Avoidance and Traffic Avoidance (Self-Separation) tests are considered in the paper, in order to provide an outline of the proposed system functionalities and of the overall coordination of the different functions that have been implemented in the system.