BAE Systems, Autonomous Landing Guidance Simulation of 94 GHz, MMW Continuous Wave FM Radar. 

BAE Systems Autonomous Landing Guidance (ALG) is a “Precision Approach Landing System” enabling pilots to fly aircraft and land successfully in degraded visual conditions. Field tests of the ALG were conducted out of Edwards Air Force Base, CA. enabling test pilots to successfully land a C-130 transport aircraft in low-visibility and zero/zero conditions. Zero-visibility conditions were simulated and used during landing tests. 

I contributed to the program by providing an ALG radar simulation and a flight simulator with cockpit controls and a HUD display. The ALG radar simulation provided images and symbology for a HUD (Head-Up Display) and incorporated processed satellite images to mimic radar images. The gimbaling of the 94 GHz ALG radar antenna was simulated relative to the aircraft orientation, and the transmitter signal was rendered as an OpenGL spotlight texture overlaid on a noise image typical of the radar signal to create a radar C scope image. Simulated infrared and ALG radar images were combined using sensor fusion for presentation on the HUD. 

The ALG radar simulation was integrated with Flight Gear, an open-source flight simulation program. Flight Gear provided 6-DOF coordinates, which were used as input to the ALG radar simulation. The out-of-the-window view and the HUD display are optically aligned. Three computer platforms running Linux, Windows, and an embedded OS were connected via Ethernet. Embedded processors instrumented the aircraft yoke, throttle, rudder, and helicopter collective and cyclic controls. Glass cockpit displays were simulated and included the Primary Flight Display and Engine Display. Simulated aircraft included the Boeing 737, C-130, and the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

Position: Lead Engineer for ALG radar simulation and Flight Gear integration. 

Development Tools: Unix, OpenGL, Ethernet, Flight Gear, C++, Atmel embedded processor, and ALG flight test data.