Federal USS Synthesis Effort (FUSE)

In September of 2019, NASA Ames Research Center, along with the Department of Defense (DoD), conducted live unmanned flight tests at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in conjunction with the North Dakota UAS Test site to support Federal Agencies in developing a prototype Federal UAS Service Supplier (FUSS). The aim of this research was to assist in determining the functions and features needed for a Federal USS and its integration with the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) environment by consulting with stakeholders and exploring use cases. The 2019 flight test focused on three main elements: the participation of DoD unmanned vehicles within the UAS Traffic Management system, the monitoring of UTM participating operations near government assets or airspace, and the detection of nefarious actors to inform potential counter actions. The Airspace Operations Laboratory was vital in the success of that effort in terms of planning and technical support in addition to serving as the central hub for monitoring operations and data collection. 

Building upon the successful 2019 flight tests, NASA continued its collaboration with the DoD and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explore further testing and refinement of the Federal USS concept. These flight tests, which took place in 2021, explored specific use cases regarding national border security, simulated the security of high-profile public events and the protection of Federal Assets and airspace. The communication within a federal agency and externally between agencies was a key area of research in the flight test. Additional aspects of testing included a focus on automation integration as well as human systems integration considerations within the Federal UTM framework.