Technology Assessment for the Future Aeronautical - ICAO

268 Pages·2005·5.78 MB·English

NASA/CR—2005-213587 TR04055
Technology Assessment for the Future
Aeronautical Communications System
ITT Industries
Reston, Virginia
May 2005
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NASA/CR—2005-213587 TR04055
Technology Assessment for the Future
Aeronautical Communications System
ITT Industries
Reston, Virginia
Prepared under Contract NAS3–00174, Task Order 3
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Glenn Research Center
May 2005
This report contains preliminary
findings, subject to revision as
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Preface

The following NASA Contractor Report documents the candidate technology prescreening process, and
the associated findings and recommendations of ITT Industries and NASA Glenn Research Center to the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as of the end of December 2004. This work was completed under
a NASA contract as the first phase of a multi-year technology assessment in support of an
FAA/Eurocontrol Cooperative Research Agreement commonly referred to as the Future Communications
Study. This work was performed in compliance with the Terms of Reference for that agreement and the
general guidance of the FAA and Eurocontrol available throughout this initial phase of the study.
Although officially released for distribution during the period of deliberations between the FAA and
Eurocontrol that began in January 2005, these findings and recommendations do not reflect additional
direction that has been received since the end of December 2004. NASA intends to publish a contractor
report in the future that documents the second phase of the technology assessment and associated
guidance from the FAA and Eurocontrol.
NASA/CR—2005-213587 iii

Technology Assessment for the Future Aeronautical
Communications System

ITT Industries
Advanced Engineering and Sciences Division
1761 Business Center Drive
Reston, Virginia 20190-5337

Executive Summary

Air Traffic Management (ATM) communications capacity is reaching saturation in Europe and the United
States. Europe has already begun a migration from 25 kHz channels to 8.33 kHz channels in the VHF
aeronautical band to relieve congestion. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is seeking
a common global solution through its Aeronautical Communications Panel (ACP). In support of this,
FAA and Eurocontrol have embarked on a joint study, with the support of NASA, to provide a major
input to the ICAO ACP. Within the aegis of the FAA/Eurocontrol cooperative research and development
program, Action Plan 17 (AP17-04) describes a joint framework to define a future Global Aeronautical
Communications System (GACS) to support ATM operations.

Technical Theme 3 of AP17 calls for “investigation of potential communications technologies operating
inside the VHF band and outside the VHF band to support the long-term mobile communication operation
concept considering terrestrial and satellite base infrastructure.” In support of this objective, the
Technology Pre-Screening Task 3.1 of AP17 outlined an activity to identify potential technologies that
“are under development in the industry” and to assess their “high level capabilities, projected maturity for
the time frame for usage in aviation, and their potential applicability to aviation.” In addition, AP17
defines a follow-on Technology Investigation Task 3.2 that determines those technologies that would
meet the functional, performance and operational communications requirements for future ATM.

This report documents the technology assessment and recommendations of the Technology Pre-Screening
Task 3.1 of AP17 described above. Figure E-1 illustrates the overall work flow of this Technology Pre-
Screening study and its major elements. It includes a review of spectrum opportunities for aeronautical
communications, development of evaluation criteria, and identification, evaluation and recommendation
of technologies for further study. As such it identifies and recommends a set of communications
technologies that should be brought forward for a more detailed technology assessment that will be
undertaken as the major component of the future Technology Investigation Task 3.2.

As part of this Technology Pre-Screening study a wide variety of communications technologies were
evaluated in each of the following technology groups:

• Cellular Telephony Derivatives
• IEEE 802 Derivatives
• Public Safety Radio
• Satellite and Over the Horizon Communications
• Custom Narrowband VHF
• Custom Wideband
• Military Communications

NASA/CR—2005-213587 v
The technologies were evaluated in accord with a broad range of evaluation criteria that reflect the
technical and strategic objectives that were defined for aeronautical communications at the 11th ICAO
Air Navigation Conference in 2003. It is important to stress that the chosen evaluation criteria are the
culmination of a process of collaboration, consensus and peer review among NASA, FAA, Eurocontrol,
and their support contractors. The top level objectives embodied in the evaluation criteria are that the
future communications system must

1) provide the communication capabilities that support current and emerging ICAO ATM concepts,
2) be technically mature and consistent with the requirements for aeronautical safety,
3) be cost beneficial, and
4) be consistent with spectral constraints and smooth transition.

AP 17 Task 3.1: Technology Pre-Screening AP 17 Task 3.2:
Technology Investigation
Capabilities,
Performance, Down Selected
Spectrum, Strategic Technologies
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Figure E-1: Technology Assessment Work Flow

The primary technologies recommended for future study to provide communications over all continental
airspace domains (enroute, terminal and surface) are:

• Project 34 (P34): P34 is a Electronic/Telecommunications Industries Association (EIA/TIA)
standardized system for provision of wireless packet data services in a dispatch oriented topology
for public safety service providers. The P34 standard is a result of a government (APCO—
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials) and commercial collaboration that
specifically addresses “issues that restrict the use of commercial services for mission critical
public safety wireless applications”
• VDL Mode 3: VDL Mode 3 is an integrated voice and data system base upon 25 kHz
channelization.
• Broadband VHF (B-VHF): B-VHF is a development effort for a future aeronautical ATM
communications system. The stated goal of the B-VHF project is to verify the feasibility of a
broadband aeronautical communications system based on advanced RF technology at VHF and
other aeronautical bands. The B-VHF Project is funded by the European Commission and a
consortium of stakeholders, including research organizations, an airline, equipment vendors, and
an ATM service provider.
NASA/CR—2005-213587 vi
A secondary technology recommended for study to provide communications over all continental airspace
domains is:

• WCDMA: Wideband CDMA is a 3G cellular technology and the leading candidate among four
other 3G systems that were evaluated. WCDMA provides the potential to be a good air/ground
data system, but it is a highly complex system that will pose major challenges to integrate into the
NAS architecture

The technologies recommended for study to provide communications over oceanic and polar airspaces
are:

• Aero-BGAN: The Broadband Global Aeronautical Network is a system being built by Inmarsat
consisting of three geosynchronous (GEO) satellites that provide communications service to
mobile platforms. This constellation aims to support existing aeronautical safety services and
Inmarsat has made a Public Service Agreement (PSA) commitment to ICAO. Current planning
indicates that Aero-BGAN will commence providing voice and data services in 2006. Because it
is provided via a GEO constellation, Aero-BGAN services will not be available in polar airspace.
• Iridium: Iridium is a commercial low-earth orbit satellite system being operated and maintained
by Iridium Satellite LLC consisting of 66 low earth orbiting satellites in 6 orbital planes . Each
satellite forms multiple beams which together form a footprint with a diameter of about 4500 km
and thereby provide total global coverage. Iridium is currently providing voice and low data rate
services.

A technology recommended for study to provide communications over the surface airspace domain is:

• IEEE 802.16: IEEE 802.16 is an evolving family of commercial specifications and products for
wireless metropolitan area networks that is an outgrowth of the Ethernet standard. 802.16
supports fixed LoS and mobile NLoS communications and provides the aeronautical community
the opportunity to use a COTS system for a broad scope of communications needs, both data and
voice, in the airport surface domain.

NASA/CR—2005-213587 vii