Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System

Footage from the head-up-display of a U.S. Air Force Arizona Air National Guard F-16 records a save by the aircraft's Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) during a training mission, the fourth confirmed by the NASA-designed system. From an altitude of just over 17,000 feet (5,182 m), the pilot executes an 8.1g maneuver which causes the pilot to lose consciousness. After the aircraft enters a steepening dive in full afterburner for twenty seconds, Auto-GCAS intervenes with a recovery maneuver at 8,760 feet (2,670 m), 652-knot (750 mph; 1,208 km/h; 335 m/s) and nose-down almost 55 degrees below the horizon.

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) enhances safety by mitigating controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents.[1] The Auto-GCAS team was awarded the 2018 Collier Trophy for the design-integration and flight testing in the F-35, marking the year's greatest achievement in aeronautics.[2] This team includes the Air Force Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Joint Program Office, the Defense Safety Oversight Council, and NASA.[2]

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System uses inputs from terrain mapping, aircraft location, and automation to avoid ground collisions. The Auto-GCAS system detects imminent ground contact and warns the pilot. If there is no pilot response, the Auto-GCAS takes control, maneuvering to avoid ground contact. When on a safe trajectory, with pilot awareness, control returns to the pilot.[3] Pilot unresponsiveness can be attributed to many factors including: distraction, task saturation, incapacitation, and unconsciousness. The Auto-GCAS system successfully reduced the leading cause of F-16 pilot fatalities.[3][non-primary source needed]

NASA started working on Auto-GCAS starting in 1997.[4] The system was then jointly developed at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works[3] and at NASA. In July 2019, seven years ahead of schedule, Lockheed Martin began integration of Auto-GCAS into the F-35 fleet.[5]

References

  1. ^ "AFRL - Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT)". Wright-Patterson AFB. United States Air Force. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Griffith, Stephanie (April 5, 2019). "Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Team to Receive the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy" (PDF) (Press release). Washington, DC: National Aeronautic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Auto GCAS: Collision Avoidance System". Lockheedmartin.com. Lockheed Martin. 2025. Archived from the original on February 25, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "NASA-Pioneered Automatic Ground-Collision Avoidance System Operational". NASA.gov. NASA. February 11, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Lockheed Martin integrates ground collision avoidance system in F-35A". airforce-technology.com. Verdict Media. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
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