The US Air Force has begun assessments of an unmanned aircraft systems traffic management (UTM) solution at MacDill AFB, Florida, as part of the service’s drone utility expansion project.
The process supports the force’s plan to employ unmanned aerial systems for security forces, airfield management, and civil engineering works, further boosting manned operations and personnel security across active bases.
For this purpose, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate launched the Collaborative Low-Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Effort (CLUE) program in 2016 to produce a modern UTM.
Development was focused on the UTM’s safe integration as well as how it would impact the air domain and overall situational awareness.
AFRL delivered the resulting CLUE UTM platform to MacDill in 2022 for an initial demonstration for the site’s drone teams.
The AFRL and Air Mobility Command are now holding a formal operational feasibility test to validate the CLUE UTM’s interoperability with MacDill’s existing Air Traffic Control Tower, Base Defense Operations Center, and Airfield Management processes.
Part of the assessments included flight approvals through the CLUE UTM, tracking, and warning relays whenever a drone exceeds approved conditions.
“This is a significant milestone for [Air Mobility Command], AFRL and the CLUE program, as the MacDill Air Traffic Control Tower and Base Defense Operations Center are first in the Air Force to operationally assess UTM capabilities,” AFRL CLUE Program Manager Phil Zaleski stated.
The CLUE UTM
The US Air Force wrote that the CLUE UTM is designed with an “agnostic” architecture that allows users to integrate various sensors and counter-drone systems, amplifying unmanned aerial systems detection and tracking throughout the evolving airspace.
Moreover, the technology displays a three-dimensional perspective of an area to better inform air traffic controllers and enable automatic flight permission for drone pilots.
“Equipping airspace managers and [unmanned aerial systems] operators with a 3D operational viewing capability and additional features designed to reduce lengthy, manual and advanced planning procedures, will be critical to achieving real-time flight planning and mission execution,” MacDill AFB Plans and Programs Chief James Layton explained.
