RFPs: Increased Automation Assistance for the Pilot for ATM Tasks

Scope

• The following list of R&I needs is proposed as an illustration of the potential project content, but it is not meant as prescriptive. Proposals may include other research elements beyond the proposed research elements below if they are justified by their contribution to achieve the expected outcomes of the topic and are fully aligned with the development priorities defined in the European ATM Master Plan.
  • Single pilot operations (SiPO)
    • In single pilot operations (SiPO) there will only be one pilot onboard at any given time during flight, also during critical phases of flight such as take-off and landing.
    • Research shall address the impacts on air/ground procedures to be followed by the different actors (air traffic ATCOs, pilots, and ground operators of the airline flight operations centres) needed to manage the normal, abnormal, and emergency situations of SiPO that are related to ATM, with the needed safety and the acceptable efficiency in all phases of flight.
    • Research shall also address the development of the required airborne avionics forsupporting SiPO that are related to ATM tasks (e.g., flight management system, surveillance function, autonomous navigation system for all phases of flight, etc.). These systems will require advanced automation and assistance in the flight deck with the objective of discharging the pilot from routine tasks in ATM, including navigation, allowing them to focus on the most critical tasks (i.e., safety of operations).
    • The research should aim at minimising the impacts on ATC operators, on their tools (ATC ground systems) and on the ATC-cockpit communications means.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance flight crew capabilities
    • Research aims at investigating how AI can support pilots in complex and critical situations, when workload may be high and/or the time to react very limited and thus improve safety. The pilot can cooperate and collaborate with the automation on board allowing efficient teaming with the automation.
    • For these situations, research should focus, for example, on how to exploit high levels of automation to perform non-critical ATM tasks for pilots and how the HMI should work during such operations, so the pilot can focus on essential tasks (e.g., during taxi-out, descend, approach and landing). The tasks needed to successfully execute the mission can be dynamically allocated between human pilot and automation onboard. In addition, AIpowered applications could support the pilots in situations where workload is low e.g., engaging pilot’s attention and alert the pilot in case something unexpected happens. The scope includes all pilot tasks related to ATM, including navigation and taxi on the airport surface. An area of particular focus is the management of high pilot workload situations during the descent, approach, and landing; the objective is to free pilot resources to allow the use of CPDLC with push-to-load in the TMA. Research may address the development of algorithms (that are certifiable) based on reinforcement learning to help the pilot make decisions (e.g., decisions considering the impact of system failures on performance, weather, wind at alternate, range, etc.).
  • Advanced on-board systems and procedures in support of highly automated ATM operations 
    • Research aims at developing on-board avionics and procedures, including flight crew digital assistants for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, in support of highly automated ATM applications. Higher level of automation defined in the ATM master plan is enabled by teaming of human pilot with digital assistants and providing human oversight to the flight
  • Flight-deck support for ATS B2 CPDLC v2/v4 on the airport surface.
    • This solution covers the development of the flight-deck (HMI, potentially including digital assistants, and avionics, including extension of push-to-load capabilities if needed), in support of the enhanced use of CPDLC on the airport surface. This includes an enhancement of the DTAXI capabilities to allow the use of CPDLC to uplink taxi clearances when the aircraft is already taxiing, as well as for the uplink of a revised departure route at any point after the aircraft has left the gate until shortly before take-off. The new departure route could be a SID (i.e., one of the published departure routes from the airport) or a custom-made departure route (e.g., a published SID but with vertical constraints aimed at facilitating a better climb profile). This increased flexibility will make it possible to uplink departure routes shortly before take-off with vertical constraints to ensure separation with other aircraft so that aircraft fly more efficient vertical profiles. This applies in particular to the tactical uplink shortly before take-off of departure routes, potentially with vertical constraints. EFB applications supporting the implementation of ATS-B2 clearances and/or the downlink of ADS-C data are also in scope. Note that the load of CPDLC clearances into FMS is not expected to go through the EFB but directly through direct connection between the CPDLC box and the FMS; EFB applications may be used to support the flight crew managing the clearances received via CPDLC (e.g., performance analysis, presentation, etc.).
  • Automation of QNH transmission between ground system and aircraft
    • The exchange of QNH information and the corresponding checks performed by ATS and the flight crew remain manual, increasing the workload for human operators. Moreover, the transmission of incorrect altimeter setting (QNH) between the ground system and the aircraft can lead to serious safety incidents. Research aims at developing solutions for the complete automation of QNH transmission and checks between ground equipment and avionics without human intervention.

Funding Information

• Budget (EUR) – Year 2025: 30 000 000
• Contributions: 3000000 to 6000000
• The maximum project duration is 36 months.

Expected Outcomes

• To significantly advance the following development actions:
  • IR-5-01 Single pilot operations (SiPO). This includes new sensors and aircraft architectures for the evolution towards SiPO/highly automated operations.
  • IR-5-02 Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks. This includes improved flight-deck HMI and procedures for CPDLC, voice-less technology, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities eligible to participate:
  • Entities eligible to participate Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.
  • A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality .
• Entities eligible for funding :
  • To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding. To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
    • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
      • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
    • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
      • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
    • countries associated to Horizon Europe;
      • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

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