Spectrum Research for Aviation Final Report

Task TO-G-026 was established to identify possible spectrum allocations to support the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations (STEReO) Project’s approach of applying Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) concepts to the management of disaster response. Both large and small unmanned aircraft have been found to provide significant benefits in disaster response. However, application of unmanned aircraft is limited by the difficulty in managing disaster area airspace. UTM concepts can greatly increase the ability to safely apply UAS to many disaster response requirements. The use of UAS requires communication links to provide command and control, telemetry, delivery of mission payload data, and situational awareness/navigation functionality to enable safe operations. The outcome of Task TO-G-026 research provides guidance in identifying appropriate potential spectrum bands required to support STEReO disaster response operations. This report presents these research results.