In-flight testing of the integrated mission management system

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present research on the flight demonstration of avionics technology for CS-23 commuter category aircraft. The Integrated Mission Management System (IMMS) is designed to reduce pilot workload by aggregating hazard information from multiple domains (airspace, traffic, weather and terrain) and automatically prefiltering this data to display only hazards relevant to the flight plan, from origin to destination. This paper details the design of the IMMS, along with the process of the integration on aircraft and flight demonstration results.

Design/methodology/approach

The IMMS integrates several technologies, including the Advanced Weather Awareness System, Tactical Separation System, Compact Computing Platform and Flight Reconfiguration System. Hazards are consolidated in a Unified Hazard Database (UHD) and assigned severity levels, providing automated hazard filtering and path planning.

Findings

Simulations and flight tests demonstrated that the IMMS effectively reduces the information displayed to pilots in real-time without loss of critical safety data. Feedbacks from test pilots on IMMS usage, as well as suggestions for improving the multi-source Graphical User Interface, are also discussed.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the UHD were identified, offering insights into potential expansions to support more efficient automatic flight planning. The technology was validated through extensive laboratory testing and real-world flight trials, achieving Technology Readiness Level 5. This validation demonstrated how the severity of hazards can be linked to their transparency level on the display, with the aim of reducing information overload.

Practical implications

The IMMS shows potential to be ground-breaking system in the CS-23 aircraft category, autonomously supporting route planning and flight execution while adapting to in-flight weather changes and ensuring tactical separation from other aircraft. It also shows that multi-domain hazard information can be processed on limited on-board avionics systems.

Originality/value

This study highlights the importance of Hardware-In-The-Loop testing in verifying new technologies and mitigating risks related to software reliability, flight demonstrations and system integration.