DeWITT — The aviation-safety program of NASA has awarded Saab Sensis a contract to develop scenario-based verification and validation (V&V) methods to support ongoing aviation-safety research.
The methods would detect problems related to authority and autonomy, specifically those associated with assignments of authority to automated systems, the company said in a news release. The firm did not disclose the amount of the contract or its length.
Through this project, Saab Sensis will create scenarios and methods that NASA can use to assess safety in both current and future operational concepts, the company added.
In emerging-aviation concepts, pilots and air-traffic controllers are using systems that involve more automation and autonomy, which presents a challenge to traditional V&V methods used to evaluate system safety and integrity, Saab Sensis noted.
To address this challenge, Saab Sensis says it will investigate new V&V methodologies and seek to improve upon existing methodologies for evaluating these complex systems.
“Future aviation concepts, such as advanced-collision avoidance and trajectory-based operations, hold great potential for improving aviation efficiency and safety, but require rigorous testing before being introduced to the National Airspace System,” Ken Kaminski, senior vice president and general manager of Saab Sensis, said in the news release. “Saab Sensis will develop new methods and scenarios that can be used by researchers to test these complex concepts with a greater degree of confidence that the concepts successfully address safety requirements.”
DeWitt–based Saab Sensis is a subsidiary of Saab AB, a Swedish defense and security company.
Saab Sensis employs about 600 people at eight locations and serves more than 60 customers in 35 countries. It has about 500 employees in Central New York. It provides sensor technologies, radar systems, modeling, and simulation for defense, civil aviation, airport, and airline customers.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com