Data communications concept for a SATS scenario

The small aircraft transportation system (SATS) concept envisions doorstop to destination transportation in a safe and timely manner. Data communications are a key component in achieving the aviation-related operational performance improvements that are sought. However, data communication doesn't start when you get into the aircraft; it starts back at the location where the flight is planned. In fact, data communications support the pilot in all phases of the flight: flight planning, pre-flight, departure, en route, transition, approach, landing, and rollout as well as for a missed approach. The Internet is being used to perform flight planning activities, and the mobile communications available today support Internet access en route to the departure airfield. On-board the aircraft, data communications provide surveillance and air traffic control (ATC) support to the pilot. The location of other aircraft is available to the pilot and ATC system through automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) and traffic information service-broadcast (TIS-B) applications that transmit the location of other aircraft in the vicinity. Other aircraft locations are used to forecast potential conflicts and, thus, enhance flight safety. As the aircraft nears a SATS-equipped airfield, the pilot uses data link messages to request a landing sequence. The airport management module (AMM) provides a landing sequence assignment to the aircraft. As the pilot maneuvers the aircraft for a landing, he/she is using data-linked surveillance data to determine the location of other aircraft and maintain a safe separation distance between aircraft even in a low visibility environment.     

The development of aeronautical mobile satellite services over thepast thirty years

This paper presents an overview of the development of aeronautical mobile satellite services (AMSS) over the past 30 years. The inherent shortcomings of present air-ground HF communications have hindered the development of civil aviation, but according to the Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) concept aeronautical satellite communication-including Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS)-will be the key to eliminating the shortcomings of HF communication systems. Satellite-based communication and surveillance will significantly improve air traffic control (ATC) over the oceanic and remote terrestrial airspace, and it will benefit civil aviation authorities, airlines as well as passengers. This paper discusses the availability of system elements, and world wide trials, demonstrations and preoperational use of aeronautical satellite communications over past years are described. Future satellite systems possible for aeronautical communications are also discussed     

大型民用客机管制与监视系统验证与测试平台的构建

目的在于研发大型民用客机航路管制与监视系统验证与测试平台,以实现机地数据通信系统环境下的航路管制与监视信息的数据地面接收和处理;同时,依照现有的空管航路管制与监视功能的国际标准和相关区域的运行要求,实现地面管制系统向机载系统的数据发布。该项研究成果能对口飞机机载数据链相关的ATC(Air Traffic Control空中交通管制)功能和部分监视功能ADS-C(Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract合同式自动相关监视)、ADS-B(Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast广播式自动相关监视),提供对应的地面收发端,监控机载系统数据状态。该成果可以配合飞机研发过程中的试验和排故,并为适航验证工作提供有力的准备和支持。     

大型民用客机管制与监视系统验证及测试平台的构建

研发大型民用客机航路管制与监视系统验证及测试平台,从而实现机地数据通信系统环境下的航路管制与监视信息的数据地面接收和处理;同时,依照现有的空管航路管制与监视功能的国际标准和相关区域的运行要求,实现地面管制系统向机载系统的数据发布。该项研究成果能对口飞机机载数据链相关的ATC(Air Traffic Control,空中交通管制)功能和部分监视功能ADS-C(Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract,合同式自动相关监视)、ADS-B(Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast,广播式自动相关监视),提供对应的地面收发端,监控机载系统数据状态。     

Preoperational testing of data link-based air traffic managementsystems in Magadan, far East Russia

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used in many ways which were unimagined by its original planners and implementers. This paper discusses one such application; the surveillance of commercial aircraft in a developing airspace environment. GPS provides system users with the ability to determine their own position with an accuracy, reliability and cost that is unprecedented. Voice procedures augmented by radar have been the primary tools for air traffic surveillance since the end of World War II. But for some countries the equipage of aircraft with GPS and a data link capable of carrying position reports to the ATC authorities is providing a viable alternative to long-range secondary radar systems. In the summer and fail of 1995, ARINC installed and demonstrated equipment in Magadan, Russia which permits air traffic controllers of MagadanAeroControl to monitor GPS position reports generated by aircraft as far away as Canada and the South Pacific. The position reports were displayed against maps and flight tracks. This equipment has clearly demonstrated an alternative technology for the upgrading of the ATC system in Siberia and other remote areas     

航空器通信寻址报告系统数据处理技术研究

在实时追踪航空器动态的各类信息中,航空器通信寻址报告系统(ACARS)数据的精度和更新速度虽然无法和空管雷达相比,但其作用距离远、信息内容丰富的优点对空中交通管理尤为重要。由于目前国内民航采用的ACARS数据处理系统全部是引进美国ARINC公司的产品,极大地的限制了ACARS数据的应用。本文将尝试研究ACARS数据处理技术,以期对开发中国自己的数据处理系统做出贡献。     

Is the need for a new ATM operational concept a strategic necessity?

We must face the fact that conventional methods of air traffic management (ATM) that have served us well cannot continue to cope indefinitely. We need-therefore, to decide what the new operational concept should be and agree on the transition path. Air traffic management is the term we apply today to the totality of the activities involved in the handling of air traffic. The quest for a new concept led to what was first called "free flight," an idea that has, in the meantime, acquired some notoriety and is today more commonly referred to in Europe as "air/ground cooperative ATS." Simply put, the original free flight concept, stipulated that given the right on-board equipment (display of traffic information, conflict detection, and resolution tools) aircraft could navigate and avoid each other completely on their own, without the need for ATC. That a new ATM operational concept will be needed to take the industry further by the time traditional methods run out of potential is difficult to question. Equally clear is that the only new concept available is free flight a.k.a. air/ground cooperative ATS.     

Digital air/ground communications for air traffic control

The early 1990's communications for air traffic control (ATC) uses analog single channel radios with conventional amplitude modulation (AM) in the very high frequency (VHF) band. To overcome eventual saturation of the current system, a sample “next generation” ATC communications system has been designed to increase capabilities and provide a graceful transition from the current system. The new ATC communication system must address problems with the modulation format and a balance between increased channel capacity and overall cost. The controller/pilot workloads can be reduced in that the information segments allow for either semi-automatic or fully automatic handoff or frequency change. The principal performance factor is the addition of data, fully integrated with voice, while offering an increase in throughput. The architecture is structured to put priority on the uplink voice messages while offering significant information capacity capabilities for external data sources. When digital data and voice communication systems mature in the ATC environment, a natural evolution to more data traffic and less voice will occur. At that time, a simple restructuring of the channel assignments and priorities could offer increased throughput for connection to ground based data sources such as high capacity routers     

Avionics cost of ownership

The cost of ownership of avionics includes not only the development and acquisition cost, but also the yearly operating and support (O and S) (maintenance) cost of hardware, software, and support equipment. This paper presents an avionics cost of ownership methodology developed for USAF, its data sources, and business metrics computed for USAF decision makers as we move toward operating avionics as a business. The business model is used to determine which existing avionics are candidates for replacement with new technology and to prioritize the replacements. These avionics are often used on multiple aircraft types which necessitates analysis of the causes of the high cost of ownership on each type. Databases are used to document the processing functions, data flow, and constraints of the item being analyzed. These constraints include physical, environmental, electrical, and data interfaces. Databases containing alternatives are evaluated against standard mission scenarios for aircraft utilizing these high cost avionics to determine their impact on performance, O and S costs, and mission effectiveness. The results of the foregoing analyses steps are then used in life cycle cost analyses which consider different retrofit scenarios for each alternative for each aircraft type against the avionics being analyzed for replacement. The alternatives are prioritized and a risk analysis performed considering technical, schedule, and cost growth risks. The avionics cost of ownership methodology described in this paper processes data from USAF maintenance organizations. This has revealed the very large expenditures being made to support highly unreliable avionics. These methods can be applied to all military and commercial aircraft systems to determine not only the cost of ownership of existing systems, but also the cost of ownership of new systems when they are retrofit     

Firewire in modern integrated military avionics

High performance communications, navigation, and identification (CNI) functions on modern military aircraft are increasingly required for mission readiness. The operation of simultaneous waveforms through an integrated avionics rack of shared resources becomes a test in moving data rapidly from one signal processing stage to the next. The IEEE 1394, or Firewire, is a commercial high bandwidth bus whose 64-bit addressing and maximum 400 Mbits/second throughput satisfies this demanding military avionics interconnect need. The challenge in applying this commercial product to integrated avionics is the requirement to seamlessly add message priority encoding. By having message priorities, the slower strategic communications links will not impair the performance of higher data rate tactical communications, thereby avoiding potentially life-threatening bottlenecks. The flight environment imposes additional challenges to ruggedize the cabling between integrated avionics racks and to utilize the full capabilities of the Firewire bus. A discussion of the physical, data link, network, and transport layers, as used in avionics applications will be done. Additionally, the versatility of 1394 in military avionics with its variable channel sizes, bandwidth on demand, hierarchical addressing, and upgrade to 800 and 1600 Mbps with a 64-bit wide data path, is emphasized. Finally, system maintenance advantages of 1394's hot pluggable features are discussed, with an eye toward cost reduction on the flight line and total operational time of the aircraft avionics systems     

Federal Radionavigation Plan-pie in the sky for civil aviation?

The Federal Radionavigation Plan states that all present navigation and landing guidance facilities will be retired starting in 2005, and full dependence for these functions will be placed on augmented GPS. Once this is implemented, civil aviation will be totally vulnerable to terrorist jamming of the GPS signals over wide earth areas with widespread disruption of air traffic and potential disasters. It has become apparent that the use of GPS/GNSS is complex and expensive for the required civil aviation functions. It is clear that a different system form is needed for civil aviation, a redundant satellite/ground based system that will prevent it from being a jamming target while providing ATC surveillance, area navigation, collision warning/avoidance, high-speed data link and Category I landing guidance globally, plus precision Category III guidance in the terminal areas as needed. Such a system will be described     

民用飞机甚高频通信系统适航审定技术分析

民用飞机进行可靠的空地、空空通信,对飞行安全尤为重要。甚高频(very high frequency,简称VHF)通信系统是目前应用最为广泛的航空通信方式,VHF通信系统通过与机上音频系统交联实现飞机与外部的语音通信,通过与机上数据链系统交联实现飞机与地面的数据链通信。甚高频通信系统与民用飞机的安全运行密切相关,也是适航规章和运行规章要求的内容。结合甚高频通信系统功能要求和设计架构,针对适用于甚高频通信系统的中国民用航空规章第25部：运输类飞机适航标准(CCAR-25-R4-2011)条款,分析并给出甚高频通信系统可接受的符合性方法,同时根据型号工作经验给出甚高频通信系统在适航审查中的审定要素。针对甚高频通信系统所涉及的各项条款,为局方提供了适航审查工作需要关注的审定要素和评审要求。研究有助于民机甚高频通信系统的安全设计与适航验证。     

Use of service history for certification credit for COTS [avionic software]

Much has been written in the last ten years about how the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components would revolutionize the aerospace industry avionics, communication, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) as well as global air traffic management (GATM). Civil aviation authorities around the world have been faced with numerous requests to certify aircraft containing increasing percentages of COTS components, much of it never designed or intended for use in the safety critical environment of an aircraft. Product service history is one method for demonstrating that such software is acceptable for use. In theory, product service history would seem to be a fairly simple concept, both to understand and to apply. However, in practice, such use has proven extremely problematic, as questions of how to measure the historic performance and the relevance of the provided data have surfaced. This paper elaborates a research effort funded by the United States Federal Aviation Administration to collect, analyze, and synthesize what is known and understood about applying product service history. The effort is limited to the topic of software product service history as applied in the certification of airborne systems and equipment.     

民用飞机甚高频通信系统设计

民用飞机进行可靠的空地、空空通信,对飞行安全尤为重要。甚高频(very high frequency,简称VHF)通信系统是目前应用最为广泛的航空通信方式,VHF通信系统通过与机上音频系统交联实现飞机与外部的语音通信,通过与机上数据链系统交联实现飞机与地面的数据链通信。如何确保民用飞机VHF通信系统可靠、稳定地工作,一直是型号设计和适航部门关注的重点,也是型号设计的难点。首先从VHF通信系统的功能定义出发,提出了VHF通信系统的设计方案,进而提出了VHF通信系统的性能要求,最后重点阐述了VHF通信系统的机上设计要求以及系统功能验证过程,对型号设计和工程排故具有指导意义。     

Switched Ethernet testing for avionics applications

Switched Ethernet is being implemented as an avionics communication architecture. A commercial standard (ARINC-664) and an aircraft vendor-specific implementation known as avionics full duplex switched Ethernet (AFDX) have been developed that defines the topology and use of switched Ethernet in an avionics application. In avionics applications, the movement of data between devices must take place in a deterministic fashion and must be delivered reliably. All aircraft flight hardware must be tested to be sure that it will communicate information properly in the switched Ethernet network. The airframe manufacture must test the integrated network to verify that all flight hardware is communicating properly. Testing and maintenance testing is required to perform data communication level testing of switched Ethernet architectures for avionics applications to insure that all communication is deterministic and reliable. This paper provides an overview of a switched Ethernet avionics network and identifies the testing challenges associated with a switched Ethernet avionics application. A practical implementation performing the required tests is discussed.     

The flying object: a flight data management concept

The drive for greater cost-effectiveness and improved safety/security in an environment of increasing air movements calls for improved availability of accurate and consistent flight data to stakeholder systems. Studies conducted by EUROCONTROL in 2001-2003 indicate significant levels of inconsistency between flight data available to aircraft operators, air traffic control (ATC), air traffic flow management (ATFM), airports and military systems, causing unnecessary workload, inefficient use of resources, and unnecessary delays. Eurocontrol's new flight data interoperability concept is intended to resolve this problem. Having passed through the initial feasibility phase, this concept is now entering the development phase, in which it will become the basis for the development of a draft interoperability standard to be used in Europe for the specifications of new flight data processing systems deployed from 2007 onwards, and potentially to be proposed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for global standardisation.     

Managing change through roadmapping [changes in aviation electronics]

Presently the USAF is operating with 90 different Model Design Series (MDS) aircraft. The 90 MDS aircraft make up a total of 5778 airframes, each with a different number of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) which make up the avionics systems. Some of the MDSs have as few as 53 avionics LRUs while others as many as 495. The total dollar value of the USAF aircraft avionics LRUs is approximately $42.4B and $30.68B in spares. Depot repairable cost to maintain these components each year is approximately $1.2B. Each MDS is assigned specific missions and the avionics systems are developed to support those missions. Due to the evolution of mission types and user needs, change is constant for the avionics manager.     

1553 emulation over ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)-a hybridavionics communications architecture

The issue of meeting the higher communications requirements of future aircraft avionics systems in an incremental manner is addressed. A communications architecture is proposed which is based upon a switched network technology from the telecommunications area asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). However, the major step of migrating all existing avionics equipment into an ATM compliant form is avoided by the process of “emulating” a current avionics data bus such as MIL-STD-1553B over an ATM network. This allows current 1553 subsystems to co-exist with ATM compliant equipment on a single physical ATM network     

Automated air defense system using knowledge-based system

The proposed KAAD (knowledge-based automated air defense) system demonstrates a man-machine environment for airspace defense systems. When the unknown aircraft is hostile, a threat rating and response methods are generated by the system. It serves as a double-check decision-making system for a war control center. In addition to this application, the KAAD system can also be a useful tool as a training program for the war controller. The capabilities of the system are limited due to the shortage of knowledge resources. It requires communications among war controllers and air fighter pilots to organize a practical knowledge base. It is shown that the KAAD system can be combined with an automated ATC (air traffic control) system to become a practical system for air defense applications     

New ATC requirements phasing in preparation for the C-17 GATM/NAV safety functions to meet civil requirements

For the next 10 years new worldwide communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements are being incrementally imposed upon commercial aircraft avionics, and upon the Air Traffic Control community, by the Aviation Administrations of most nations, including the FAA and the JAA. These requirements are the result of a decade of study by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to improve aviation safety and efficiency. In 2001, the USAF mandated compliance to the CNS requirements for its military aircraft, which is called Navigation Safety/Global Air Traffic Management (NS/GATM) by the USAF. By complying with these requirements, the C-17 will maintain its ability to fly internationally without CNS restrictions, such as requiring special handling. The Phase I study reported herein is the first phase of a three-phase study effort that will result in the C-17 achieving NS/GATM compliance for a specific set of NS/CNS requirements.