Would Allow The Aircraft To Be Flown Remotely

A plan under development by NASA could make such things as delivery of small packages by UAV a possibility by allowing the aircraft to be flown remotely.

Reuters reports that the system, which is being developed by NASA and Exelis, could potentially address the "line of sight" requirement in the FAA's proposed UAV rules, which would allow the aircraft to fly long distances. Along with package delivery, pipeline and crop surveys are potential uses for such a system.

NASA, Exelis and other companies, and universities are all working to develop such a tracking system. Exelis has exclusive rights to use data it already provides to the FAA to track manned aircraft from 650 ground stations, according to the report. The company's UAS-Vue and RangeVue products would use that same system to track UAVs at much lower altitudes that commercial aircraft, according to the company. It will also show terrain, weather, and airspace boundaries in real time in data that can be displayed on tablets and laptop computers.

NASA said any system that might eventually be adopted would be operated by the federal government, and FAA officials said it is far too early to say what such a system might look like.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.exelisinc.com