Feasibility analysis of a system for automatic tactical Nap-Of-the-Earth rotorcraft flight

An analysis of a design approach to meet feasibility requirements for a system for automatic nap-of-the-earth (NOE) rotorcraft flight is presented. Results indicate that an autopilot for tactical NOE flight in adverse day/night conditions appears to be feasible. Accurate tactical navigation, automated mission planning, and an access port to the automatic flight controls system are assumed. A laser radar makes it possible to map the terrain at the resolution necessary for the NOE autopilot. The terrain sensing system can provide redundancy for flight safety as well as high scan rate with accurate turret pointing. Efficient scanning algorithms that search the scene for edges of masked areas and other terrain artifacts are available. Parallel processing, guided by an expert system, is required to efficiently resolve conflicting requirements for the sensor to revisit edges in the scene