1.  What is JAUS?

A:  The Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) is a standard that has been mandated within the Department of Defense to enable interoperability between Operator Control Units (OCUs), unmanned vehicles, and payloads on unmanned vehicles.  JAUS is an evolving standard which is in step with the emerging needs of the unmanned systems industry.  In its current embodiment, Reference Architecture (RA) 3.2, JAUS can be viewed purely as a message set.  Under the governing international standards organization, SAE, the AS-4 committee continues to evolve the standard.  Future versions of JAUS will offer a services-based architecture to better enable interoperability within and between unmanned systems.  As the new services-based architecture is developed and validated under AS-4, the JAUS RA will continue to be supported and updated.  There are three final planned releases of the RA (3.3, 3.4, and 4.0).

2.  There are also air, surface and undersea unmanned systems. Does JAUS apply to them also?

A:  Yes, JAUS applies to all unmanned systems.

3.  How is JAUS different from other standards?

A:  JAUS exists to ensure that DoD Unmanned Vehicle systems are interoperable, can insert new capabilities easily, and remain open and scalable.  Other standards aid in reaching this goal but have a more limited scope. 

4.  Can I join the JAUS Working Group?

A:  Absolutely.  The JAUS Working Group welcomes and admits new members on a continual basis.  All participation is on a volunteer basis.

5.  How will JAUS compliant systems be verified?

A:  The JAUS compliance specification document can be found at: http://www.jauswg.org/baseline/CS%20V1.2%2025%20OCT%2006.doc.  Compliance currently falls upon the program managers of programs with JAUS requirements to generate the test plan to verify JAUS compliance according to the JAUS Compliance Specification document.  The SAE AS-4 group continues to investigate compliance issues for the purpose of providing future recommended compliance verification procedures and tools.

6.  Will JAUS RA 4.0 be fully (binary) compatible with the SAE AS-4 document set available at the time of its publication?

A:  Yes.  The SAE AS-4 documentation, describing JAUS services, will allow for services to be generated based on the JAUS 4.0 RA.

7.  Does JAUS guarantee interoperability?

A:  No.  JAUS currently enables interoperability for unmanned vehicles.  JAUS does not guarantee interoperability.  JAUS should be viewed as a framework for expediting the integration of unmanned systems, allowing them to interoperate.