Proposed functional architecture and associated benefits analysis of a common ground control station for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

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Authors
Chanda, Michael
DiPlacido, Julee
Dougherty, John
Egan, Richard
Kelly, John
Kingery, Trent
Liston, Daniel
Mousseau, Douglas
Nadeau, James
Rothman, Theodore
Subjects
Ground Control Station (GCS)
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
common
commonality
interoperability
architecture
training
Air Vehicle Operator (AVO)
requirements
Systems Engineering (SE)
Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS)
Fire Scout
Small Tactical Unmanned Air System (STUAS)
Basic UAS Qualification (BUQ)
Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM)
Integration Definition for Functional Modeling (IDEF0)
Human-Machine Interface (HMI)
Advisors
Date of Issue
2010-3
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and lack of mandated standards has led to unique Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Ground Control Station (GCS) designs. A former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, stated in an Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) that UAS GCS commonality could reduce manpower, procurement, sustainment and life cycle costs. While the ADM provided an impetus for commonality, it did not define a path. This project defines a common GCS functional architecture that provides the first steps on the path to UAS commonality. Stakeholder documentation was analyzed to identify areas of greatest concern and to examine previous efforts in this domain. Then, a tailored systems engineering process was employed to develop a new set of requirements which includes a common Air Vehicle Operator (AVO) Human-Machine Interface. These requirements enabled the creation of an innovative functional architecture for a common GCS concept. The utilization of this architecture has multiple operational, logistical, and financial benefits. This project quantified AVO training cost benefits and found that implementation of the common GCS architecture in accordance with the derived requirements will benefit the Department of Defense through reduced Operations and Support costs and increased operational capability.
Type
Thesis
Description
Department
Systems Engineering (SE)
Organization
Identifiers
311-0832
NPS Report Number
NPS-SE-10-002
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
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