Unmanned and Autonomous System Test

Abstract

Unmanned and Autonomous Systems (UAS) support every domain of warfare. They operate in space, in air, on land, on the sea surface, undersea and in subterranean conditions to support a vast variety of missions. The emergence of unmanned systems brings a host of revolutionary capabilities that will profoundly influence warfare. The Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Test (UAST) project addresses current and emerging challenges associated with the test and evaluation (T&E) of these critical warfighting capabilities. The technology developments within the UAST portfolio have been prioritized to align with Department of Defense (DoD) guidance on science and technology priority investments, particularly in assessing autonomy. As such, the UAST project is developing test technologies to simulate, stimulate, instrument, measure, and assess an autonomous system’s ability to perceive its environment, process information, adapt to dynamic conditions, make decisions, and effectively act on those decisions in the context of mission execution. The UAST project will provide the test technologies to effectively measure performance and characterize risk, thereby increasing warfighter trust in autonomous systems. Current DoD test capabilities and methodologies are insufficient to address the testing of increasingly autonomous units and teams of unmanned systems operating in unstructured, dynamic, battlespace environments. Furthermore, advancements are being made in developing collaborating, system-of-autonomous-systems that will work in concert as a swarm or pack and in close proximity with humans. New test technologies are needed to stress the collective set of autonomous systems under realistic conditions, predict emergent behavior of autonomous systems, emulate the complex environment, and assess mission performance of these highly coupled and intelligent systems.

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Document Details

Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2017
Source ID
7_0603941D8Z_3_0400_PB_2017

Tags

Readers

  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs
  • Space
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers

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