International Groups Work Toward Global ADS-B Harmonization

December 17, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

The primary objective of such meetings is to ensure that automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) implementation on board aircraft is globally interoperable.

At the meeting, participants discussed the progress each of them had made in implementing their ADS-B programs and addressed issues of standardization, regulation, aircraft equipage, certification trials and initial operational capability.

ADS-B relies on aircraft broadcasting their identity, position and velocity. The signal transmitted by the aircraft can be captured by receivers on the ground (ADS-B-out) or in the aircraft (ADS-B-in).

The meeting noted that European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness approval material, expected in February 2008, would be useful in harmonizing the early equipage requirements.

Australia and Canada are expected to use compliance with EASA material as an input into early implementation approvals, and the U.S. is exploring the same possibility.

For later implementations where performance may be more demanding, the consensus converged towards the requirements published by the FAA in its notice of proposed rule making.

The meeting coincided with a Eurocontrol ADS-B Certification Workshop hosted by Air Europa. More than 100 representatives of airlines, air navigation service providers, regulators and manufacturers from Asia, Australia, Africa, America and Europe attended the event. The next joint meeting of the ADS-B Programme Managers will take place in Canada in April 2008.

ADS-B-out is expected to reach initial operational capability status in 2008, and ADS-B-in for air traffic situational awareness in 2011.

Source: Eurocontrol.