With airspace increasingly getting crowded, managing air traffic indeed is a Herculean task. Futuristic technologies are the answer and many defence and aerospace majors are at it. In an interview with SP’s Aviation during the Paris Air Show, John T. Kefaliotis, Vice President, Next Generation Systems, ITT Defense and Information Solutions, outlines the key features of ADS-B programme which is being rolled out in the US for nationwide airspace coverage.

SP’s Aviation (SP’s): Could you give us an update on the air traffic management (ATM) programme in India?

John T. Kefaliotis (Kefaliotis): We have not been actively engaged in pursuing ATM initiatives in India with the exception of ADS-B. We have been talking with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for some time now about planning for the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) in India. Our latest understanding is that the AAI plans a pilot programme involving installation of certain numbers of ADS-B receivers at some airports.

SP’s: Have the locations being identified for the pilot programme?

Kefaliotis: I do not know the details about the physical location of the pilot programme. However, we intend to participate in the programme. I was in New Delhi recently and my understanding from the meetings is that a pilot programme is intended and that the tender would be released within a couple of months. I am told it would be an open tender and we certainly would plan on submitting a bid.

SP’s: Is it going to be a tough competition?

Kefaliotis: It is certainly a competitive market. The solution that we provide in the US is a comprehensive nationwide solution that has substantial benefits in terms of networkenabling surveillance infrastructure in the country. To the extent that AAI and India wants to move in that direction, we think we have an outstanding solution.

SP’s: What are the unique features of your programme that you are offering in India?

Kefaliotis: ITT understands the requirements of the potential customers and offers them solutions that meet those requirements. What we have discussed with AAI in terms of the US implementation is that it is a comprehensive nationwide solution. In a nation where there are a large number of ADS-B radios to be deployed in order to provide nationwide coverage and a large number of air traffic control (ATC) facilities to which data are distributed, the US solution is highly appropriate. We have centralised control stations into which we bring all the ADS-B data. We validate and do geographic filtering in a central facility and place the data sets on the network so that any ATC facility can subscribe to the data sets. It is a very flexible distribution of data, offering substantial benefits. The ITT ADS-B architecture has been built to very stringent functional and performance requirements and has been subjected to extensive testing by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA has conducted a formal safety case against that solution. The ADS-B solution has been demonstrably validated by the FAA. The solution is a gold standard.

SP’s: Could you throw light on the origin of ADS-B and the milestones achieved by the company, in terms of certification, etc?

Kefaliotis: ADS-B is not a new technology. It’s been in validation and standards development in the US with the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) and so too in Europe. There is harmonisation of standards. The concept is not new. In the US, there have been demonstration networks that have been organically integrated by the FAA. The FAA bought radios and installed and integrated them. But in terms of a nationwide integrated solution that was validated and has gone through security and safety certifications, it started with the awarding of contract to ITT in August 2007.

The FAAs ADS-B programme is extensive. It has two links—a 1090 Mhz link intended for air transport and universal access transceiver (UAT) link for general aviation. It has four services; in one service we collect all ADS-B data that the aircraft broadcasts and distribute it to ATC facilities. We also turn around the links. We accept data on the UAT link and broadcast the data on 1090 Mhz and vice versa. We have two broadcast services—one that broadcasts ADS-B reports for traffic i.e. not ADS-B equipped and is under radar surveillance and one for weather and aeronautical information. These services provide unprecedented situational awareness for ADS-B equipped airborne aircraft equipped with proper display technology. ITT was awarded the contract in August 2007 and by October 2008, the FAA declared in-service decision (ISD) for the broadcast services. When FAA does that, it means it meets the functional performance requirements. The system is safe and secure and can be effectively operated as part of the national airspace systems. We continued to roll out ground stations and in 2009 we went through a series of initial operational capability (IOC) demonstrations for the key sites for the display of ADS-B information on controller displays—Louisville Approach Control, Philadelphia Approach Control, Gulf of Mexico data to the Houston En Route Center and Juneau data to the Anchorage En Route Center. In September 2010, the FAA declared ISD for all system services opening the door for completion of nationwide deployment. ITT is actively working to complete this national deployment. We have deployed approximately 340 radios, all system control stations and system monitoring facilities. Eventually, ITT will deploy approximately 700 radios for full nationwide coverage at both high and low altitude. We will complete system deployment by 2013. ITT has performed this programme on schedule and on budget.

SP’s: Does India also require deployment of 700 radios considering the geographic size?

Kefaliotis: The number of radio stations required for India would be determined by AAI requirements. ADS-B is a line of sight system depending on the solution, long-range for aircraft operating at an altitude. ITT’s experience in the US is that radios provide 260 nautical mile radius coverage. It is the low altitude coverage requirement that will drive the number of radios required. We do not know AAI’s requirements. Under one possible scenario, ITT independently estimated that approximately 60 radios would be required to provide quite a good coverage for India.

SP’s: What about cost-competitiveness?

Kefaliotis: We do understand Indian procurement practices. We hope to package our solutions to be cost-competitive. We need to look at the pilot programme requirements. Ultimately we have to look at the national requirements. We do believe that our architecture provides substantial benefits.

SP’s: Are you in touch with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is implementing the GPSaided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN)?

Kefaliotis: We are not in touch with ISRO but we are clearly structuring a programme to have Indian content. We have a commercial and defence office in India. We have not formalised any arrangements as yet.

SP’s: Are you talking to the Tata Group which has bagged a contract for modernisation of 30 airports in India?

Kefaliotis: We have been talking to AAI and we will continue to build relationships, including with the Tatas. We have to partner on product development and we do have plans of doing that in India in the near future. The ITT representative in Delhi is an active member of the aviation cooperation panel, a TDA-funded initiative in India.

SP’s: Which are the countries where the ADS-B is operational?

Kefaliotis: The countries where ADS-B is operational include Canada, Finland, Australia and others. There has been a lot of deployment in South East Asia as well.

SP’s: Does ADS-B have any military application?

Kefaliotis: ADS-B is a cooperative surveillance system and a globally harmonised technology. Various nations will have rules about equipage. In the US, all aircraft have to be equipped with ADS-B by 2020. In Europe, there is a much more aggressive rule. There are exceptions for state aircraft; principally around fighter aircraft. As for transport aircraft, they will be operated routinely in different environment and ADS-B will benefit the transport aircraft. In the US, the FAA delegates airspace to military and in that delegated airspace the military provides ATC services, and to that extent ADS-B becomes a widely accepted surveillance technology the Military ATC facilities will have to have ADS-B data delivered to them. As air defence technology, you can use it to sort out the friendly aircraft but it is a cooperative system. From an aircraft operations standpoint, it is applicable for both military and civil.

SP’s: Will the NextGen Equipage Fund be available for India?

Kefaliotis: It is a US focused fund that ITT has been an active participant in. We have not thought about a similar fund for India. The fund is an option for alleviating the financial barriers currently preventing airlines from rapidly equipping with modernised ATM cockpit technology to enable acceleration of benefits that will be delivered through the FAA’s Next-Gen programme.