VEC BAE Systems case study

WORK WITH US

DEVELOPING EVIDENCE FOR CERTIFICATION - AUTONOMOUS REMOTELY PILOTED SYSTEMS

The Virtual Engineering Centre’s unique ‘sandpit’ model allows technology organisations to enhance their capabilities through virtual innovation, accessing academic research and the latest scientific and technology infrastructure.

The Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC),

in partnership with BAE Systems,

has developed a Virtual Engineering

Simulation Laboratory (VESL) for the integration,

test and generation evidence for certification

of components of Autonomous Remotely

Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

THE CHALLENGERPAS technologies are maturing rapidly however

the associated regulations to allow open access

to civilian airspace are yet to be fully formulated.

Current UK practice is to allow Unmanned

Aerial Systems (UAS) operation only in

segregated airspace or in non-segregated

airspace but restricted to line-of-sight operations,

below 400ft only. UK industry is working with the

regulatory bodies to develop a means by which

UAS can operate alongside existing airspace

users, in all classes of non-segregated UK

airspace. Therefore these new technologies

cannot yet be tested in the environment in

which they will ultimately be used.

THE SOLUTIONThe Virtual Engineering Centre has developed

tools and techniques that will allow both

industry and regulators to establish a ‘design

for certification’ ethos within the supply chain

where safety-critical software and hardware

is required.

The processes include requirements capture

and validation phases, as well as a means

of testing and evaluating whole Unmanned

Aerial Systems (UAS) and sub-system virtual

prototypes, with a view to being able to

demonstrate compliance with the relevant

airworthiness codes as early as possible

in the design cycle.

THE BENEFITSHaving developed a robust and accurate

process in the development of their virtual

prototypes with the VEC, Primes and SMEs

are able to integrate software models of

UAS and sub-systems that conform to the

applicable industry standards, into the VEC

framework. Linking this model to the High

Performance Computing (HPC) facility

accessible through the VEC’s partnership

with the Hartree Centre at STFC Daresbury

Laboratory, supporting evidence for

certification can be generated.

The Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) delivers innovative solutions to industry through the exploitation of academic research and the latest scientific and technology infrastructure. Enhancing capability through Virtual Innovation, the VEC is the UK’s leading centre of Virtual Engineering technology integration for industrial and commercial applications.

A collaboration between the University

of Liverpool and the Hartree Centre,

Science and Technology Facilities Council

(STFC) Daresbury Laboratory, the VEC

delivers advanced modelling, simulation

and visualisation solutions and ease

of access to the UK’s most powerful

supercomputing facilities to enable

business growth and competitiveness.

For more information about how your

organisation could benefit from working

with the Virtual Engineering Centre:

+44 (0)1925 864853

virtualengineeringcentre.com