A Review and Analysis of the Mitre Beacon Collision Avoidance System.
Abstract
This report presents the results of IDA's study and analysis of the beacon collision avoidance system (BCAS) design proposed by The MITRE Corporation. This system, referred to herein as MCAS, is an active collision avoidance system which makes use of air traffic control radar beacon system (ATCRBS) transponders already possessed by a large fraction of the flying aircraft population. It is also compatible with the discrete address beacon system (DABS) in anticipation of that system's eventual adoption in place of ATCRBS. MCAS derives the same economic benefits accruing to any BCAS by virtue of relying on the use of ATCRBS transponders already installed in many aircraft. However, because the system is active, its design must assume, in principle, that airborne MCAS interrogator equipment will be limited to about ten percent of the flying population in order to avoid excessive garble for its own purposes and interference with regular ATCRBS ground stations. MCAS uses essentially the same threat logic for encounters between MCAS-equipped aircraft which was recommended by ANTC-117 and its performance will therefore suffer the same deficiencies resulting from the use of that logic as predicted in previous IDA studies. These deficiencies are a high natural alarm rate due to a lack of certain parameter data, such as bearing rate and relative acceleration, and/or less than safe alarm criteria resulting from trade-offs intended to reduce the alarm rate. For encounters with ATCRBS transponder equipped aircraft, MITRE has designed a special, so-called remitter logic, which has similar deficiencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA037225
Entities
People
- Arthur Krinitz
- Irvin W. Kay
- James J. Bagnall Jr.
- Lawrence R. Dausin
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses