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2020-11-15

Bell Completes APT 70 Demo with NASA

An autonomous pod transport, APT 70, created by Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has successfully completed a Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) flight demonstration as part of a joint operation with NASA.

The APT 70 is envisioned to transport payloads up to 70lbs and can be used for medical deliveries, third-party logistics, offshore delivery, humanitarian relief, and more.

In 2018, Bell was nominated to participate in NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalisation (SIO) activity, which includes multiple flight demonstrations focusing on different types of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and their flight environments.

The objective of Bell’s SIO demonstration was to execute BVLOS mission in an urban environment transitioning into and out of Class B airspace representing future commercial flights. Taking off from Bell’s Floyd Carlson field in Fort Worth, Texas, the APT 70 flew a pre-programmed 10-mile circuit path along the Trinity River. Once armed from the ground control station, the APT 70 initiated a vertical takeoff.

The vehicle then rotated to fly on its wings where it became nearly silent to the ground below, and eventually executed its mission profile at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level.

The route included a road crossing and transition in and out of Class B airspace. Communication between the ground station and the aircraft was maintained through a redundant data link.

A prototype airborne detect and avoid system, along with visual observers, helped the remote pilot with awareness of air traffic in the vicinity and recommended flight manoeuvres. The mission results will be used to evaluate and demonstrate Detect and Avoid (DAA) and Command and Control (C2) technologies for use in future certified operations in controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

The data collected during the demonstration will also be used to support future standards development and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification guidelines.

An elated Michael Thacker, executive vice president, Innovation and Commercial Business, stated: “This successful demonstration highlights the great potential for the APT 70 to complete complex missions for businesses and healthcare providers. With teammates like NASA, we can carve a path forward for future commercial operations to solve the cargo and goods transportation challenges our world currently faces.”

On his part, Mauricio Rivas, UAS integration in the NAS project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, said: “NASA is excited to partner with Bell to help accelerate routine UAS operations into the national airspace with this successful flight demo. Our efforts with Bell and our other SIO industry partners will help commercial UAS move closer towards certification to make missions like this transport flight a common event.”

Bell’s technology partners for the flight demonstration include Xwing and the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA).

Integrated onto the APT 70 is Xwing’s airborne, multi-sensing detect and avoid system (DAA). The APT 70 also includes CASA’s intuitive, integrated display to provide pilots with local weather risk awareness and route-based weather alerts issued by their City Warn Hazard Notification System deployed in the DFW metroplex.

A DAA that Ensures Safety

Xwing’s detect and avoid system is capable of safely integrating unmanned aerial vehicles in the airspace. The DAA system comprises radars, ADS-B, visual system and on-board processing to provide aircraft tracks and pilot alerts transmitted to the ground station.

The technology provides situational awareness for the ground pilot or can be coupled with the flight control system for automated avoidance.

The idea is to enable unmanned vehicles to fly without ground observers by paving the way for beyond visual line of sight flight.

Integrating Xwing’s detect and avoid technology within Bell’s vehicle, the APT 70, actually marks the first time that the unmanned vehicle was authorised to fly into controlled airspace.

In fact, a portion of the flight occurred in Class B airspace, which surrounds major airports and requires authorisation and coordination with air traffic control.

“We’re thrilled to be working among industry leaders such as Bell and NASA in our joint pursuit to make unmanned aircraft a reality,” said Marc Piette, CEO and founder of Xwing. “This demonstration paves the way for the future of aviation by bringing us one step closer to commercial unmanned flight.”

With the successful completion of the demonstration, Xwing’s DAA technology has successfully been integrated into a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, a Bell helicopter as part of the NASA programme, and Bell’s APT 70 vehicle.

This highlights the ability of Xwing’s technology to be integrated into a variety of vehicles that can be used to transport goods safely and affordably, across distances ranging hundreds of miles.

Reference Text/Photo:www.bellflight.com

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