BVLOS UAS Cargo Delivery Simulation - A DoD-Sponsored Operational Evaluation with NASA and Project ULTRA

Currently existing UAS flight system implementations often require a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), thus posing the challenge of missions being repeatable. Operators request stand-alone, one-off waivers and specific approvals for each flight circumstance. In addition to those limitations, there are additional risk mitigations that must be accomplished to conduct flight missions. These mitigations usually involve conformance monitoring and externally deployed ground-based sensor installations. As many DoD flights will have to transit through the NAS, they will also be subjected to FAA rules that apply to the respective airspace.

The 2024 simulation of the FUSE ecosystem served as a preliminary bridge between previous flight tests and future efforts by evaluating the functionality required for a Federal USS to routinely support BVLOS UTM operations. This simulation focused on supporting large cargo delivery missions between Cavalier Space Force Station and Grand Forks Air Force Base (the Cavalier Mission) and informed further developments to elements of the ecosystem, including complementary tools and interfaces. The Cavalier Mission contributes to the larger Project ULTRA (UAS Logistics, Traffic, Research, and Autonomy), which was established to enhance the military’s capability for UAS cargo delivery operations. The simulated Cavalier Mission will be repeated as a live flight as part of the operational evaluation of 2025.