Abstract

Regions with dense air traffic has lower separation between aircrafts to maintain the throughput. Terminal area generally requires high throughput and some of the airports need to maintain 3 nmi separation between two aircrafts. To provide 3 nmi separation RNP 0.3 is required. In this paper we propose two possible ways to fulfill RNP 0.3 NSE requirement using LDACS as an alternate system. The first way is to use LDACS in standalone configuration and the other way is to use a hybrid configuration, where position solution is obtained using LDACS combined with DME. The results show that both the proposed methods, standalone and hybrid configuration fulfill RNP 0.3 NSE requirement. Where standalone configuration is more accurate than hybrid, due to the low ranging error of LDACS system. For our analysis the surveillance data for terminal area of Munich and Frankfurt airports were used. In standalone configuration 5 LDACS stations for Frankfurt and 6 LDACS stations for Munich are sufficient to fulfill RNP 0.3 NSE requirement. In hybrid mode both Frankfurt and Munich only need 3 LDACS stations.

Abstract

the heart of the modern air traffic management system there is the communication infrastructure that enables efficient aircraft guidance and safe separation in all phases of flight. However, although current systems are mature and generally providing a good service, they are suffering from the VHF band’s increasing saturation in high density areas. The EU and US, representing the two areas experiencing the most pressure, strive therefore for the sustainable modernization of the aeronautical communication infrastructure. Air traffic management communication shall transition from analog VHF voice communication to more spectrum efficient digital data communication supported by automated decisions of computer systems. This digitization of the air-ground communications infrastructure has to be evaluated carefully against the expected future air traffic to ascertain its sustainability and future-proofness. The accepted approach to this endeavor is to employ large-scale computer simulations. The most used method - generating synthetic air traffic with simplified flight trajectories from extrapolated flight plan databases - is largely accepted by the community as a good compromise between constant aircraft populations (too simplistic) and recorded real-world data (not available for the future). A combination of great-circle routes and simplified altitude profiles is deemed to provide sufficient fidelity for the simulation of long-range communication systems. However, the validity of this approach has yet to be investigated in detail. Although this investigation is certainly not possible in the general case we think that it can be performed for selected areas. In this paper we investigate the validity of synthetic air traffic generation for aeronautical communication system evaluation by comparing the results of our FACTS2 simulator to recorded flight data of Germany. FACTS2 is the German Aerospace Center's framework for aeronautical communication system evaluation.

Abstract

This paper extends on the initial findings of “APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM - A PRIMER” (Stroup & Niewoehner: Herndon, VA; ICNS-2019), and looks at why the current technologies, enterprise architecture, and future program plans may not be enough to address persistent operational challenges. This paper further explores why emergent operational concepts, business models, and demand profiles may necessitate Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enhanced Communications, Navigation and Communications (CNS) infrastructure to disrupt current operational impediments. European airspace, as well as the NAS, has similar challenges. Key challenges explored in this study include: traffic flow management of diverse users; VAS Traffic Management - Air Traffic Management (UTM-ATM) airspace integration; equitable access to airspace; information exchange networks and airborne-ground interoperability of AI applications. Finally, we examine why trustworthiness and resiliency will be key mileposts on the regulatory pathway to AI certification.

Abstract

n overview of the NEWSKY project (“NEtWorking the SKY”) is given. This project is co-funded by the European Commission within the 6th Framework Programme and has started in February 2007. The main goal of the NEWSKY project is to show that the integration of different communications systems and different applications into a global, heterogeneous network for aeronautical communications is feasible and how this integration can be achieved. The envisaged applications comprise not only Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) but also airline and passenger communications (AOC, AAC, APC). The aim of NEWSKY is not the development of new link technologies; rather, NEWSKY aims to develop an innovative networking concept to integrate different existing and emerging link technologies into a single, global network for a secure, seamless and robustly redundant communication system, which is scalable to cope with future long-term increasing demands. High benefits are expected from the increased information availability and information sharing possibilities that the NEWSKY network will enable.

Abstract

Within the next 10-15 years, air-traffic management (ATM) will be primarily based on data communications and voice communication will be mostly used as fallback solution. Furthermore, it is foreseen that IP-based networking solutions for A/G communication will be deployed for cost savings, high reliability and an optimal alignment with the evolution of communication and security technologies. Such an efficient and sustainable data network for aeronautical communications is required to enable the implementation of a range of operational improvements needed to support the expected growth in air transportation. An IP-based global aeronautical communication network is currently being developed within the NEWSKY project, co-funded by the European Commission and in close collaboration with Eurocontrol and ICAO ACP WG-I (Specification of ATN/IPS). NEWSKY pursues the vision of "Networking the Sky" by integrating different data link technologies (long range A/G links, airport links, satellite links) and different services (ATS, AOC/AAC, APC) in a single, seamless network. Key functionalities have been identified, namely resource management, mobility, security and end-to-end data transport. In this paper, the raw functional architecture and the ongoing activities towards the specification of the functional modules are investigated.