A system is described. The system may detect whether a user within a flight deck is authorized to control the aircraft. The user may receive differing levels of authority to control the aircraft depending on whether the user is authorized or unauthorized. The system may also control the aircraft depending on the various phases of the aircraft, including in flight and on the ground. The system may also be used to unlock the controls for the aircraft. The system may unlock the control using biometric information or nonbiometric information. The system may include a camera which is added to a flight deck. The camera may capture images of users within the flight deck. Faces within the images may be detected and compared against authorized users for locking or unlocking the aircraft controls.

Aircraft systems and methods that determine, based on location data from a navigation system, whether conditions have been met enabling arming of an approach mode of an autopilot system. The systems and methods, when the one or more conditions enabling arming of the approach mode are determined to be met, start a first timer of a first period of time and, at the same time, provide a first message to alert a pilot to arm the approach mode via manual input to a user interface. When a determination has been made that the approach mode continues to have not been armed via manual input to the user interface, the approach mode is automatically armed.

The system and methods described herein aids in the defense of unmanned vehicles, such as aerial vehicles, from wifi cyber attacks. Such attacks usually do not last long and in the case of many point-to-point command and control systems, the attacks originate from close proximity to the unmanned vehicle. The system and methods described herein allow a team to rapidly identify and physically respond to an adversary trying to take control of the unmanned vehicle. Another aspect of the embodiment taught herein is to allow for the location of a wifi signal in a hands-free manner by able to visualize the source of the signal using an augmented reality display coupled to an antenna array.

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.

Various systems and methods for disabling UAVs are presented. An interrogation system may transmit an identifier request message to a UAV. The interrogation system may receive, in response to the identifier request message, a response message that indicates a UAV identifier. The interrogation system may access one or more UAV identifier databases that relate UAV identifiers with airspace definitions. The interrogation system may retrieve from the one or more UAV identifier database systems an airspace definition corresponding to the UAV identifier. The interrogation system may determine that the UAV is to be disabled based on: a location of the UAV, a restricted airspace definition, and the airspace definition corresponding to the UAV identifier. The interrogation system may then transmit a disablement instruction message to the UAV based on the location of the UAV and the airspace definition corresponding to the UAV identifier.

A monitoring terminal includes a transceiver, a receiver, and a processor. The transceiver provides a two-way communication with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via a first communication link and is configured to receive feedback data and a feedback data indication from the UAV and transmit control data to the UAV. The receiver is configured to receive the control data and a control data indication from a controlling terminal via a second communication link. The second communication link does not interfere with the first communication link. The processor is configured to determine whether the feedback data and the control data are being simultaneously transmitted via the first communication link based on the feedback data indication and the control data indication.

The present subject matter is related to a safety mechanism that comprises method and system for automatically performing safety operations to prevent crash of an airborne vehicle. When there is a deviation of current airborne vehicle path from predefined airborne vehicle path, the airborne vehicle safety system sends a notification to receive authentication of all aircraft operators in the airborne vehicle, as a safety measure. If the authentication is provided, then the airborne vehicle proceeds along the current path, otherwise control of the airborne vehicle is switched from manual control to automatic control that proceeds along the predefined path. Therefore, the airborne vehicle safety system prevents intentional crash or deviation from the current path. Further, the airborne vehicle safety system unlocks cockpit door of the airborne vehicle when authentication is not received from the aircraft operator in cockpit so that necessary measures can be taken to prevent the crash.

A system for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle may include a GNSS receiver, a transponder, one or more flight controls, a UAV operation module, a UAV mission module, and a UAV chassis. The system may include an operating area defined within an airspace and an airspace controller, and a transponder key issued to the UAV by the airspace controller. The airspace controller and the UAV may communicate to unlock UAV access of the operating area, including transmitting a transponder ID code for verification to the airspace controller; receiving a read certificate from the airspace controller; transmitting a mission plan to the airspace controller; receiving a mission key from the airspace controller; verifying the mission key via read back transmission to the airspace controller; and receiving a mission plan from the airspace controller in the form of the transponder key, the mission plan unlocking access to the operating area.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying method for helping an UAV flying to a location of an owner of the UAV or flying to a predetermined place includes the following steps of: triggering the UAV into a hijacked mode; ascertaining if the UAV is capable of flying or not; the UAV flying to the location of the owner or to the predetermined place if the UAV is capable of flying; and, the UAV sending a distress signal to the owner if the UAV is not capable of flying. Therefore, the UAV is capable of flying back or sending information after entering the hijacked mode, so as to avoid or lower the loss caused by losing the UAV or the UAV being captured by the captor.

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.