The leading cause of F-16 fighter aircraft and fighter pilot losses is ground collisions. In an effort to curb this hazard, an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) was formally fielded for use in routine U.S. Air Force active-duty F-16 operations in 2014. AGCAS uses a high-level automation design capable of altering the aircraft’s flight control system independent of pilot action.
This study explored an application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to integration of the AGCAS in fighter aircraft operations. Using data from a survey of active-duty U.S. Air Force F-16 operational fighter pilots (n=142), collected shortly after initial AGCAS fielding, an AGCAS-specific TAM was analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. Hypotheses describing the relationships between an AGCAS-TAM’s latent variables: AGCAS perceived usefulness, AGCAS perceived ease of use, and AGCAS usage behavior. The results provided evidence of the validity and utility of an AGCAS-TAM to user acceptance of high-level automation in fighter aircraft operations.
","abstract_html":"<p>The leading cause of F-16 fighter aircraft and fighter pilot losses is ground collisions. In an effort to curb this hazard, an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) was formally fielded for use in routine U.S. Air Force active-duty F-16 operations in 2014. AGCAS uses a high-level automation design capable of altering the aircraft’s flight control system independent of pilot action.</p> <p>This study explored an application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to integration of the AGCAS in fighter aircraft operations. Using data from a survey of active-duty U.S. Air Force F-16 operational fighter pilots (n=142), collected shortly after initial AGCAS fielding, an AGCAS-specific TAM was analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. Hypotheses describing the relationships between an AGCAS-TAM’s latent variables: AGCAS perceived usefulness, AGCAS perceived ease of use, and AGCAS usage behavior. The results provided evidence of the validity and utility of an AGCAS-TAM to user acceptance of high-level automation in fighter aircraft operations.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Richardson, Casey"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation","degree_level":"Dissertation - Open Access","degree_discipline":"College of Aviation","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:34Z","subjects":["technology acceptance","collision avoidance","fighter aircraft","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/349","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Richardson, Casey"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["College of Aviation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["technology acceptance","collision avoidance","fighter aircraft","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/349"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The leading cause of F-16 fighter aircraft and fighter pilot losses is ground collisions. In an effort to curb this hazard, an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) was formally fielded for use in routine U.S. Air Force active-duty F-16 operations in 2014. AGCAS uses a high-level automation design capable of altering the aircraft’s flight control system independent of pilot action.
This study explored an application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to integration of the AGCAS in fighter aircraft operations. Using data from a survey of active-duty U.S. Air Force F-16 operational fighter pilots (n=142), collected shortly after initial AGCAS fielding, an AGCAS-specific TAM was analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. Hypotheses describing the relationships between an AGCAS-TAM’s latent variables: AGCAS perceived usefulness, AGCAS perceived ease of use, and AGCAS usage behavior. The results provided evidence of the validity and utility of an AGCAS-TAM to user acceptance of high-level automation in fighter aircraft operations.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Applications of the Technology Acceptance Model to Integration of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System in Fighter Aircraft Operations"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Richardson, Casey"],"dc:description.abstract":["The leading cause of F-16 fighter aircraft and fighter pilot losses is ground collisions. In an effort to curb this hazard, an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) was formally fielded for use in routine U.S. Air Force active-duty F-16 operations in 2014. AGCAS uses a high-level automation design capable of altering the aircraft’s flight control system independent of pilot action.
This study explored an application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to integration of the AGCAS in fighter aircraft operations. Using data from a survey of active-duty U.S. Air Force F-16 operational fighter pilots (n=142), collected shortly after initial AGCAS fielding, an AGCAS-specific TAM was analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. Hypotheses describing the relationships between an AGCAS-TAM’s latent variables: AGCAS perceived usefulness, AGCAS perceived ease of use, and AGCAS usage behavior. The results provided evidence of the validity and utility of an AGCAS-TAM to user acceptance of high-level automation in fighter aircraft operations.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/349"],"dc:subject":["technology acceptance","collision avoidance","fighter aircraft","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"],"dc:title":["Applications of the Technology Acceptance Model to Integration of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System in Fighter Aircraft Operations"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["College of Aviation"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:34Z"}