SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATING AUTOMATIC DEPENDENT SURVEILLANCE-BROADCAST CAPABILITIES IN SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM (sUAS) OPERATIONS

A method of operating a small unmanned aircraft, comprising:

• providing a control and communication workstation for communicating with the small unmanned aircraft, the a control and communication workstation including a processor;
• controlling, with the processor, a flight profile of the small unmanned aircraft;
• geolocating, with the processor, a position of the small unmanned aircraft;
• collecting, via an ADS-B receiver device, locating and operating information from at least one cooperating manned aircraft operating an ADS-B radio/transponder, the ADS-B receiver device being at least one of (1) mounted on the small unmanned aircraft and (2) connected to or integrated in the control and communication workstation;
• integrating, with the processor, ADS-B data received from cooperating aircraft via the ADS-B receiver device with information regarding operation of the small unmanned aircraft for output as a situational awareness picture regarding operations in a vicinity of the position of the small unmanned aircraft;
• and
• outputting the situational awareness picture.

A non-transitory computer readable medium on which is stored operating instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the steps of a method for operating a small unmanned aircraft, the method comprising:

• controlling a flight profile of the small unmanned aircraft;
• geolocating a position of the small unmanned aircraft;
• collecting, via an ADS-B receiver device, locating and operating information from at least one cooperating manned aircraft operating an ADS-B radio/transponder, the ADS-B receiver device being at least one of (2) mounted on the small unmanned aircraft and (2) connected to or integrated in a control and communication workstation that communicates with the small unmanned aircraft;
• integrating ADS-B data received from cooperating aircraft via the ADS-B receiver device with information regarding operation of the small unmanned aircraft for output as a situational awareness picture regarding operations in a vicinity of the position of the small unmanned aircraft;
• and
• outputting the situational awareness picture.