Controlling UAVs

BAE Systems and The MathWorks work together on UAV flight software using embedded code generation and a high-integrity RTOS.

As flight-control and avionics systems of military and commerical aircraft are required to deliver more functionality and perform more complex missions, their onboard software becomes increasingly complicated to design and produce. Flight-control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the added complexity of autonomous or remote control.

UAV system architecture is highly sophisticated and requires the configuration of such items as a vehicle management controller, actuators, data-link receivers and transmitters, payload assembly, a GPS receiver, a power generator, and a battery. Within limited budgets and aggressive schedules, BAE SystemsControls in Johnson City, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, routinely has to deliver reliable, flight-critical software that operates remotely and autonomously from a ground control station. The company must also create designs that allow both the hardware and the software to be cost-effectively integrated and migrated to new applications.