NATO STO Lecture Series on Flight Testing of Autonomous Air Systems: Processes and Procedures for Military Readiness (AVT-434)

Open to citizens from NATO Nations

The lecture series coupled with experimental demonstration will provide a platform for NATO nations to share their experiences, challenges, and successes in UAV flight testing, facilitating the development of common standards, procedures, and protocols. By promoting greater consistency and coordination, the participating countries can reduce barriers to cooperation, improve the efficiency of joint operations, and enhance the overall effectiveness of their military forces.

Background

The mission of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) is to help position Science and Technology (S&T) investments as strategic enablers for knowledge and technology advantage. Against this backdrop Allied and partner Nations conduct and promote S&T activities that augment and leverage capabilities, contribute to enable and influence capability development and threat mitigation, and support decision making.

The STO is governed by the Science and Technology Board (STB) The STO comprises a large network of subject matter experts from government, institutes, academia and industry. They work together in six Panels, one Group and one Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) on topics of interest to their Nations and NATO. The Applied Vehicle Technology (AVT) Panel is one of the Panels under the STB.

The AVT Panel strives to improve the performance, affordability, and safety of vehicles through advancement of appropriate technologies. The Panel addresses vehicle platforms, propulsion and power systems operating in all environments (land, sea, air, and space), for both new and legacy systems.

To accomplish this mission, the members of the AVT community exploit their joint expertise in the fields of:

· Mechanical systems, structures and materials

· Propulsion and power systems

· Performance, stability and control, fluid physics

Theme

The uniformization of UAV flight-testing processes and procedures across NATO nations can play an important role to ensure safe and efficient operations. By exchanging knowledge and best practices on UAV flight testing, the participating countries can work towards standardizing their approaches, which can help enhance military interoperability and improve their ability to conduct joint operations. This, in turn, can contribute to strengthening their collective defense capabilities and enabling more effective cooperation in the development and deployment of autonomous air systems.

The lecture series coupled with experimental demonstration will provide a platform for NATO nations to share their experiences, challenges, and successes in UAV flight testing, facilitating the development of common standards, procedures, and protocols. By promoting greater consistency and coordination, the participating countries can reduce barriers to cooperation, improve the efficiency of joint operations, and enhance the overall effectiveness of their military forces. 

Topics to be Covered

The lecture series will provide a platform for participants to share their research, experiences, and expertise in flight testing autonomous air systems. Potential topic areas that may be covered include:

· Advances in autopilot systems and autonomous flight

· Airspace integration and safety case development

· Flight testing methodologies and procedures

· Counter unmanned aerial systems (CUAS) measures

· Emerging technologies and novel applications of UAVs, such as urban air mobility and environmental monitoring

· Human-machine interaction (HMI) and operator performance

· Regulatory frameworks and standards for UAVs

· The development of standardized protocols for UAV flight testing

· The application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in autopilot systems

· The use of simulation tools and modeling in UAV development and testing

· The integration of UAVs with other unmanned systems, such as ground vehicles or underwater vehicles

The goal of the lecture series is to provide a flexible and dynamic platform for participants to share their knowledge and expertise, and to facilitate collaboration and cooperation in the development of autonomous air systems.