Communication complexity involving Unmanned Aerial Systems in a simulated NAS environment

The integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) introduces new concerns into Air Traffic Management (ATM). Because pilots in UAS are not located in their aircraft, it can take them longer to respond to Air Traffic Controller (ATCo) commands. Communication complexity has to do with the number of commands that ATCos include in a given communication and it is important to study because it has been linked to air traffic incidents and accidents. It is possible that having UAS present in a sector causes ATCos to issue more complex commands to all aircraft as a way of managing a greater workload. This study analyzed ATCo communication complexity when issuing clearances to conventional aircraft and UAS. Results show that as the number of UAS increased in the sector the communication complexity decreased. These results may be due to the decrease in the number of conventional aircraft with the increase of UAS; ATCos may develop strategies to issue more commands that are less complex.