A Framework for Airworthiness Certification of Autonomous Systems Within United States Naval Aviation

Abstract

A need has been identified to establish a strategy and framework for airworthiness certification of autonomous systems in Naval Aviation. The purpose of this research was to document a two-day virtual summit that was held in June 2021 to develop an initial strategy and framework for airworthiness certification of autonomous functionality in Naval Aviation air systems. The summit was designed to engage the airworthiness community to start the development of a strategy and framework for airworthiness certification of autonomous systems. The summit was attended by representatives from government, industry and academia. Following two full days of discussions, the group came to a consensus on a strategy and framework for airworthiness certification of airborne autonomous functions based on an example use case: an unmanned aircraft performing a drogue aerial refueling task. This paper summarizes the summit and it’s outcomes in an effort to stimulate the certification community to develop methods for certifying autonomous behaviour.