Future systems for low flying operations

This paper considers the systems and technologies that need to be developed to support future requirements for aircraft and helicopter low flying operation. Although particular mission scenarios will dictate differing low level flight capabilities, especially between fixed wing and helicopters, the underlying technologies and techniques should be applicable to a range of requirements. The consideration of low level flight also brings into question who (or what) is in control of the aircraft´ s flight path. It will be assumed that for fast jet operation, say below 100 ft and around 500 kts ground speed, automatic terrain following (ATF) and automatic ground/obstacle collision avoidance systems (AGOCAS) will be required. For slower speed operation (for example, helicopters and fixed wing transport aircraft), pilot control or a mixture of pilot and automatic control may be preferred. The author examines these situations