Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System

{{short description|American military aviation safety}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2020}}

File:Auto-GCAS Saves Unconscious F-16 Pilot—Declassified USAF Footage.webm 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 {{convert|8,760|ft|m|0}}, {{convert|652|knots|mph km/h m/s|0|adj=on}} 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.{{cite web |title=AFRL - Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) |url=https://www.wpafb.af.mil/Welcome/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1578307/afrl-automatic-collision-avoidance-technology-acat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101202558/https://www.wpafb.af.mil/Welcome/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1578307/afrl-automatic-collision-avoidance-technology-acat/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 1, 2020 |website=wpafb.af.mil |publisher=WPAFB |accessdate=30 May 2020}} 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. This team includes the Air Force Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Joint Program Office, the Defense Safety Oversight Council, and NASA.{{cite press release |url=https://naa.aero/userfiles/files/documents/Press%20Releases/Collier%20Trophy%202018.pdf |title=Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Team to Receive the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy |date= April 5, 2019 |publisher= NAA}}

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. 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.{{cite web |title=Saving the Good Guys with Auto GCAS Technology |url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/autogcas.html |website=Lockheedmartin.com |publisher=Lockheed Martin |accessdate=30 May 2020}}

NASA started working on Auto-GCAS starting in 1997.{{cite web |title=NASA-Pioneered Automatic Ground-Collision Avoidance System Operational |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/Features/Auto-GCAS_Installed_in_USAF_F-16s.html |website=NASA.gov |date=February 11, 2015 |publisher=NASA |accessdate=30 May 2020}} The system was then jointly developed at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and at NASA. In July 2019, seven years ahead of schedule, Lockheed Martin began integration of Auto-GCAS into the F-35 fleet.{{cite web |title=Lockheed Martin integrates ground collision avoidance system in F-35A |url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/lockheed-ground-collision-avoidance-f-35a/ |website=airforce-technology.com |date=July 25, 2019 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}