In some embodiments, a control manager is disposed between the rotor system and the flight control inceptor.

The control manager is configured to receive control commands wirelessly from a ground control station, translate the control commands into one or more axes associated with the flight control inceptor, and transmit the translated control commands to the rotor system in place of the instructions received from the pilot via the flight control inceptor.

A method for policing and managing the operation of a flying, unmanned aircraft in the event of usurpation of control of, malfunction of, or ill-intentioned use of, this aircraft includes the steps of (a) detecting inappropriate operation of the aircraft; (b) transmitting a takeover command to the aircraft to interrupt control of the operation of this aircraft by a first pilot and relinquish control of the aircraft to a second pilot; and (c) transmitting control commands to the aircraft to control its operation by the second pilot, until the need for alternate pilot control of the aircraft has ended or until the aircraft has landed safely.

In some embodiments, a control manager is disposed between the rotor system and the flight control inceptor. The control manager is configured to receive control commands wirelessly from a ground control station, translate the control commands into one or more axes associated with the flight control inceptor, and transmit the translated control commands to the rotor system in place of the instructions received from the pilot via the flight control inceptor.

In response to determining that a panic situation exists, an aircraft panic component can at least partially disable various systems of an aircraft, such as a navigation system (e.g., flight plans), an operational system (e.g., aircraft controls), or other suitable systems. For example, elements of a navigation and/or operational system of the aircraft may be disabled to disable local (e.g., pilot or cockpit) control of those system and/or to at least partially disable local operational systems of the aircraft (e.g., hydraulic or pneumatic flight control mechanisms, etc.). The navigation system can be updated with a new flight plan and the aircraft can have its autopilot engaged to pilot the aircraft according to the new flight plan such as to direct the aircraft to a certain altitude and/or heading. A remote terminal can be notified of the panic situation and control of the navigation system and/or operational systems can be turned over, potentially exclusively, to the remote terminal.

A method for policing and managing the operation of a flying, unmanned aircraft in the event of usurpation of control of, malfunction of, or ill-intentioned use of, this aircraft includes the steps of (a) detecting inappropriate operation of the aircraft; (b) transmitting a takeover command to the aircraft to interrupt control of the operation of this aircraft by a first pilot and relinquish control of the aircraft to a second pilot; and (c) transmitting control commands to the aircraft to control its operation by the second pilot, until the need for alternate pilot control of the aircraft has ended or until the aircraft has landed safely.

An aircraft emergency control system comprises at least one sensor (104A, 104B, 104C) configured to output an electronic signal relating to detection of incapacitation of at least one aircraft crew member. A processor (108) is configured to receive and process the electronic signal to determine whether emergency action is to be taken. A control unit (114) is configured to communicate, in use, a control signal to an avionics system (116) of the aircraft (100) in relation to the emergency action if the processor determines that emergency action is to be taken.

A system includes a first terminal configured to transmit control data to a controlled terminal via a first communication link for controlling operation of the controlled terminal, and a second terminal configured to transmit control data to the controlled terminal via a second communication link for controlling operation of the controlled terminal. The second terminal is further configured to, in response to the first communication link being under interference, receive the control data from the first terminal via a third communication link and transmit the control data received from the first terminal to the controlled terminal via the second communication link.

A navigation security module of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) receives a combination of signals from a location technology, each signal comprising at least a signal identification and location data. The combination of signal identifications is processed against known identifications. If the identification is not found, or if the combination of signal identification is not possible, the signal may be a rogue signal, resulting in a quarantine protocol.

A technique for adaptively disrupting UAVs detects a target UAV using a camera, monitors the target UAV's communications using a directional antenna aligned with the camera, and attempts to communicate with the target UAV to request that it land, fly away, or return to launch. With the camera trained on the UAV, the directional antenna detects down-link signals from the UAV, which the UAV may employ to communicate with a ground-based controller. Control circuitry analyzes the down-link signals and generates a disrupting signal based thereon. The disrupting signal shares characteristics with the down-link signal, such as its protocol, bit rate, and/or packet length. The directional antenna transmits the disrupting signal back toward the UAV to affect the UAV's flight.

A method for policing and managing the operation of a flying, unmanned aircraft in the event of usurpation of control of, malfunction of, or ill-intentioned use of, this aircraft includes the steps of (a) detecting inappropriate operation of the aircraft; (b) transmitting a takeover command to the aircraft to interrupt control of the operation of this aircraft by a first pilot and relinquish control of the aircraft to a second pilot; and (c) transmitting control commands to the aircraft to control its operation by the second pilot, until the need for alternate pilot control of the aircraft has ended or until the aircraft has landed safely.