Considerations for Automated Nap-of-the-Earth Rotorcraft Flight

In this paper, we consider nap-of-the-earth (NOE) rotorcraft flight as one of the applications in which obstacle avoidance plays a key role, and investigate the prospects of automating the guidance functions of NOE flight. Based on a proposed structure for the guidance functions, we identify obstacle detection and obstacle avoidance as the two critical components requiring substantial advancement before an automatic guidance system can be realized. We discuss the major sources of difficulties in developing these two components, including sensor requirements for which we provide a systematic analysis.