Verification of an Autonomous Reliable Wingman using CCL

We present a system of two aircraft, one human-piloted and one autonomous, that must coordinate to achieve tasks. The vehicles communicate over two data channels, one high rate link for state data transfer and one low rate link for command messages. We analyze the operation of the system when the high rate link fails and the aircraft must use the low rate link to execute a safe "lost wingman" procedure to increase separation and re-acquire contact. In particular, the protocol is encoded in CCL, the Computation and Control Language, and analyzed using temporal logic. A portion of the verified code is then used to command the unmanned aircraft, while on the human-piloted craft the protocol takes the form of detailed flight procedures. An overview of the implementation for a June, 2004 flight test is also presented.

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