It may be coming to larger military aircraft next.[1] Recovery strategies for fighters can be drastic. The F-16 auto-GCAS commands a roll rate up to 720°/sec, followed by a 5G pull-up. Only fighters and some aerobatic aircraft are capable of such aggressive maneuvers.
On the other hand, fighters are expected to fly fast and aggressively close to terrain. The goals of the F-16 auto-GCAS are
1. Do No Harm (don't initiate a maneuver that causes a crash)
2. Do Not Interfere (the pilot may be in an aggressive combat maneuver)
3. Avoid Ground Collisions
The conflict between 2) and 3) is tough. The rule of the F-16 system is not to interfere until a crash is less than 1.5 seconds away. This was established by flight testing with fighter pilots flying aggressive profiles that might be used in combat.
Larger aircraft are seldom flown that aggressively. Nor do they have the power and maneuverability to get out of trouble in 1.5 seconds. Today's GPWS and EGPWS systems provide up to 60 seconds
of time from the warning to airplane impact. The FAA says "The GPWS mandate reduced CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) accidents from about 9 per year in the seven years immediately preceding the mandate to about 4 per year after. This rate has remained fairly constant". So there's room for improvement through automated recovery that isn't last-second.
On the other hand, fighters are expected to fly fast and aggressively close to terrain. The goals of the F-16 auto-GCAS are
1. Do No Harm (don't initiate a maneuver that causes a crash)
2. Do Not Interfere (the pilot may be in an aggressive combat maneuver)
3. Avoid Ground Collisions
The conflict between 2) and 3) is tough. The rule of the F-16 system is not to interfere until a crash is less than 1.5 seconds away. This was established by flight testing with fighter pilots flying aggressive profiles that might be used in combat.
Larger aircraft are seldom flown that aggressively. Nor do they have the power and maneuverability to get out of trouble in 1.5 seconds. Today's GPWS and EGPWS systems provide up to 60 seconds of time from the warning to airplane impact. The FAA says "The GPWS mandate reduced CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) accidents from about 9 per year in the seven years immediately preceding the mandate to about 4 per year after. This rate has remained fairly constant". So there's room for improvement through automated recovery that isn't last-second.
[1] http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a618503.pdf