Modeling and Simulation of Function Allocation Concepts for Separation Assurance

This paper introduces a fast-time simulation testbed for con-ducting parametric studies to support the study of function allocation for separation assurance in the National Airspace System. The allocation of separation assurance functions be-tween ground-based and airborne systems remains a topic of considerable interest in the air traffic management research community. The testbed, built on NASA’s Airspace Con-cepts Evaluation System, provides a robust, fast-time simu-lation platform with the flexibility and modularity to repre-sent a wide range of function allocation concepts and archi-tectures. Candidate concepts, algorithms and other mod-els (e.g., aircraft performance, weather, communications, surveillance, sources of uncertainty, etc.) can be rapidly prototyped and studied in the testbed. Accordingly, the testbed is uniquely equipped to address specific foundational research questions that may inform the continued explo-ration of air/ground function allocation for separation as-surance. This paper introduces the design and architecture of the testbed, and presents an example case to demonstrate the application of the simulation platform to a function al-location research question