UFO · UltraFast wind sensOrs for wake-vortex hazards mitigation

The UFO project aims at ensuring aviation safety at current high standards or even better, regardless of air transport growth, through Wake-Vortex Advisory Systems improvement, in connection with SESAR P12.2.2 project. UFO research works will address a wide range of innovative technologies through studies of new Ultra Fast Lidar/Radar Wind & EDR (Eddy Dissipation Rate for turbulence) monitoring sensors, usable for Wake-Vortex Hazards Mitigation, but also for severe Cross-Wind, Air Turbulence and Wind-Shear.Constrained by high update rate and accuracy requirements needed for wind measurements, 2D electronic scanning antenna technology based on low cost tile will be explored for X-band radar through a development of a tile mock up as well as a new high power laser source of 1.5 micron Lidar 3D scanner with higher power.In addition, new design tools will be developed through simulators, able to couple Atmosphere models with Electromagnetic, Radar and LIDAR models. In parallel, advanced Doppler signal processing algorithm will be developed and tested for 3D wind field and EDR monitoring, including the algorithm for the resources management of the different sensors. Comparison with already existing sensors as C band meteorological radar and S band ATC radar, but also ADS-B Downlink will be studied.Calibration of the ground sensors (Lidar, X band radar, C band radar with ADS-B datalink) and the simulators will be achieved through a set of experimental trials in Munich and Toulouse. In Toulouse, an aircraft equipped with airborne probes will enable in situ comparison.Coordination with SESAR, through Eurocontrol, as associated partner, airports as End user in the UFO steering committee, will be favoured.The team is composed of the main experts in Europe of the domain: 2 large companies (TSA, TR6), 4 universities (UCL, TUBS, TUD, UPMC), 1 SME (Leosphere), 3 governmental research labs (DLR, ONERA, NLR) and 2 MET Offices (DWD, KNMI).