Integrated ATM and Airport Systems

The Saab Remote Tower (r-TWR ) system under testing for Avinor, Norway’s Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), at Værøy Heliport has passed its Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) milestone, completing V3 stage under SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) test and validation trials. The r-TWR system provides Avinor Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) officers at the Bodø Remote Tower Center (RTC) with high resolution video of daily helicopter operations at Værøy.

Værøy’s heliport is a low-traffic site that is served by four scheduled flights per day. The Saab r-TWR technologies and operations for this site will be used together with SESAR-developed capabilities for validation by the SESAR program for AFIS. In addition, Saab is testing an Infra Red camera at Værøy to determine its benefits in a real-life situation for rough weather and nighttime operations.

“Saab Remote Tower technology continues to make progress towards acceptance and SESAR validation,” said Ken Kaminski, general manager of Saab ATM. “The milestone is also important in this application as it aims to demonstrate the remote tower technology’s ability to withstand severe weather conditions.”

This is the second Saab r-TWR system to pass SAT; the r-TWR technology at Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik Airports in Sweden has passed SAT for LFV, Sweden’s ANSP.

Saab’s r-TWR system uses a number of video, audio and other sensors to provide a continual, comprehensive view out of an air traffic tower. The video and other sensor information is fed to a RTC where the data is streamed live to an AFIS officer on multiple LCD displays. AFIS officers at the RTC have complete control over all sensors and airfield lighting along with integrated flight data, electronic flight strips and other ATC tools.