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The Future of Avionics
Kevin Peter Spurrell
School of Aeronautics, Liberty University
AVMX-428: Advanced Electronics
Professor Brandon Waggoner
March 6, 2023
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The Future of Avionics
How do we predict the future of avionics and aviation electronics? This is a very difficult
question to answer. The first magnetic compass was installed on an aircraft to improve safety and
performance. The nav system was not established until the directional gyro was invented before
World War I by Lawrence Sperry. “You could also look at the development of aviation
technology as having three fundamental drivers, from which all other goals derive: safety,
performance, and a business case.”[ CITATION Ton18 \l 1033 ]. The history of avionics comes
from the things we develop on the ground in our vehicles and our cell phones. The TCAS system
was developed from the assured cleared distance ahead (ACDA) system that was developed for
vehicles and trains. Also, in vehicles the obstacle detection sensor system (ODS) is similar to the
Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) in aircraft. Some of the future of aviation
includes: autonomous operations, motion planning, virtual environment, electrical power
generation, and computing and security. We are going to concentrate on the world of
Autonomous Operations and the direction we are heading in aviation.
“Autonomous aircraft systems rely on three basic elements: improved operational
performance; safe operation; and the ability to make money.” [ CITATION Ton18 \l 1033 ].
Autonomous aircraft are being produced by large companies like Lockheed Martin and Northrop
Grumman for the military and government research. Boeing and Airbus are leading in the
research of autonomous operations in commercial aircraft. Looking for safe ways to help pilots
fly the aircraft and keep them out of dangerous situations while flying. “Emerging technologies,
systems and solutions, assist flight operations in a crucial role: they are the tools that will enable
the aerospace industry and its customers to thrive long into the future and they are equally
essential to our vision: “to pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united
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world.”[ CITATION Aut \l 1033 ].
Airbus has started testing on the Autonomous Taxi, Take-off and Landing (ATTOL)
project. This project dates back to 2018 and with all the close calls we have had in take offs and
landings lately through out the country this project is something that will stop the guess work
from ATC. “Airbus is concluding a two-year effort, the Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off and Landing
(ATTOL) project, that featured two world-firsts for the aviation industry: fully automatic vision-
based takeoffs and landings, controlled using on-board image recognition
technology.”[ CITATION Woo20 \l 1033 ]. Airbus modified an A350-1000’s avionics systems by
upgrading the flight control computer and installing cameras on the aircraft. They are working on
certifying the technology, but have not decided if the want to use it on commercial aircraft.
Another project that Airbus is working on is the DragonFly. Airbus is one of the leaders
in safety and making systems safer. The DragonFly is a system that allows the pilot to see 360
degree around the aircraft. It allows the pilots to be able to recognize landmarks and define its
boundaries. “DragonFly offers a solution to help ensure safe flight and landing. If the crew are
unable to control the aircraft, the onboard function detects the issue and automatically selects the
most suitable airport to redirect the aircraft towards.”[ CITATION Cou23 \l 1033 ]. The
DragonFly system is another autonomous system that combine sensors and computers to make
landing in low visibility or bad weather easier. The vision of the camera works much fast than
the human eye and can allow the aircraft to maneuver around the obstacle. “DragonFly has now
entered the final three months of its testing phase.”[ CITATION Cou23 \l 1033 ].
For the safety of the airways, Airbus has also developed Unmanned Traffic Management
(UTM). This system is designed to help control the lower airspaces that have so much air traffic
in it. Including landing aircraft, taking off aircraft and drones. “In the future, we will see not
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hundreds but thousands of aircraft populating our lower airspace, including traditional
helicopters and new entrants such as delivery drones and air taxis, also known as electrical
vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs).”[ CITATION Air23 \l 1033 ]. There are 6 things
that Airbus are looking for before deployment of the UTM system: scalable, safe, secure, future-
proof, interoperable, and sustainable.
For the cockpit Airbus is developing two systems that will help the pilots during flight.
One is the Disruptive cockpit (DISCO), with this project they are working on different cockpits
layouts for the 21 centuries. “With the objective of continuous safety enhancement and
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operations efficiency, this R&T project aims at exploring different kinds of cockpit layouts for
commercial aircraft of the 21st century.”[ CITATION Aut \l 1033 ]. The second project that is
being developed is the extended Minimum Crew Operation (eMCO). “Extended Minimum Crew
Operations (previously CONNECT project) enables the flight crew to better organise their
presence in the cockpit during the cruise phase, thanks to additional automated functions. Pilots
can thus achieve a better balance between working and resting time on long-range
flights.”[ CITATION Aut \l 1033 ]. Both of these projects will help the pilots in safety and give
them help with autonomous systems.
“Hardware, software or a combination of the two that enables a system to make decisions
independently and self-sufficiently. Autonomous systems are self-directed toward a goal
governed by rules and strategies that direct their behavior.”[ CITATION Aut1 \l 1033 ]. This is
the definition of Autonomous Systems as defined in Skybrary and the definition of Autonomous
UA is as follows. “An unmanned aircraft that does not allow pilot intervention in the
management of the flight.”[ CITATION Aut1 \l 1033 ]. The since the development of unmanned
aircraft the industry as gone through the roof. “The pace at which the [UAS] industry is growing
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is unprecedented. It is anticipated that in 2035, at any given hour we will have over the skies of
Paris 156 commercial aircraft, 2,500 urban air mobility [UAM] vehicles, 16,667 drones
delivering cargo, 58 inspection drones, and 44 hobby drones.”[ CITATION Aut1 \l 1033 ].
Unmanned aircraft fall into different categories. Two of the categories include the
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Drones fall under the
UAS category. When drones first came out it was a free for all and people did what ever they
wanted with them. Now the FAA has regulated the drone industry and you must register your
drone if it weighs over 55 lbs. The FAA has a page for drone pilots to register and learn about all
the rules and regulations on drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been around since World
War I when they were used for reconnaissance missions. Today the UAVs are still used for
reconnaissance, but they are also used for surveillance, photography, mapping, delivery of goods,
and search and rescue missions. There are different types of UAVs: fixed wing, multi-rotor, and
single rotor UAVs, they all have advantages and disadvantages. Fixed wings are used for long
distance flights, multi-rotors are used for photography, surveying, and search and rescue
missions, and single rotors are used for shorter flights and can take off and land in tight spaces.
“Autonomously operated UAVs use a programmable flight path to perform certain tasks, such as
taking photos or videos. The operator can automatically program the UAV to take off, fly to a
certain location, and land.”[ CITATION Unm21 \l 1033 ]. The UAVs use navigation and GPS to
get from point to point. “The field of sensor or data fusion is one area that will have the greatest
impact on autonomous operations. Essentially, sensor fusion is the melding of data from multiple
system sensors to provide an accurate and complete status picture of the aircraft in any given
environment. This will also require the advancement of real time “mapping” sensors such as ‐
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and range focusing data recognition analytics.”
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[ CITATION Ton18 \l 1033 ]. “The aviation world uses computers for many beneficial purposes.
A major use is enabling more efficient navigation, which creates fuel savings.”[ CITATION
Sco132 \l 1033 ].
With the research and development of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned
aircraft, and autonomous systems the future of aviation is in a good place. We have drones that
can be used for police surveillance, realtors can use them to take aerial pictures of the houses for
sale, and they can be used for a multitude of different things. Amazon and other companies have
talked about using drones to deliver products. They can also be used for bad, like they are being
used in the Ukraine war. The unmanned vehicles can be used for reconnaissance and search and
rescue. The search and rescue UAVs help to avoid putting pilots and crew members at risk when
the conditions are not good to fly a helicopter. The autonomous systems that are being developed
for aircraft are the future of aviation. With the different projects that avionics companies,
especially Airbus, are working on we can be assured that the autonomous systems being
developed are going to help with the safety of aviation. These systems being developed will help
with safety and the operation of the aircraft. The aviation community will continue to develop as
technology continues to improve.
References
Airbus Unmanned Traffic Management- Building the safe airspace of the future. (2023).
Retrieved from Airbus: https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/autonomous-
connected/airbus-unmanned-traffic-management
Autonomous flight. (n.d.). Retrieved from Airbus:
https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/autonomous-connected/autonomous-flight
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Autonomous Operations Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Skybrary:
https://skybrary.aero/articles/autonomous-operations-basics
Bailey, T. (2018, December 9). The Future of Avionics. Retrieved from AINonline:
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-12-09/future-avionics
BellamyIII, W. (2020, June 29). Airbus Concludes ATTOL Project That Featured ‘World-First’
Automated Takeoffs and Landings. Retrieved from Aviation Today:
https://www.aviationtoday.com/2020/06/29/airbus-concludes-attol-project-featured-
world-first-automated-takeoffs-landings/
Could the humble dragonfly help pilots during flight? (2023, January 12). Retrieved from
Airbus: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2023-01-could-the-humble-
dragonfly-help-pilots-during-flight
Kenney, S. (2013). "Avionics:Fundamentals of Aircraft Electronics". Weyers Cave: "Avotek
Information Resources, LLC".
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – Everything You Need to Know. (2021). Retrieved from Triad Drones:
https://www.triaddrones.com/articles/unmanned-aerial-vehicle-everything-you-need-to-kno
