Solutions in Air Traffic Communication and Test Automation

The companies will deploy a station network in Germany which will monitor the signals broadcasted by satellite positioning systems in order to assess its performances

AC-B and Indra will implement a station network to measure GPS and EGNOS signals in order to supervise that data used by aircrafts in the German territory are accurate and reliable.

The German air navigation services provider, the DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, commissioned AC-B (Air Traffic Control & Business Systems), as Indra subsidiary in Germany, with the modernisation of the GNSS-Ü (Global Navigation Satellite Systems Monitoring). It consists of a critical system which calculates errors and determines the accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability of the data provided by the positioning systems for the different flight phases.

GNSS-Ü will come into service in a year and will consist initially of three-sensor station conveniently distributed from the North of the country to the South and a redundant central server system in Langen (near Frankfurt). They will collect all the GPS and EGNOS information. The system will monitor the satellite signals, will analyse them in search of possible errors and will record them.

By using navigation algorithms and calculations, the system will feed the DFS control centre in Langen data regarding the quality of the service achieved by the global navigation satellite systems.

Indra, as one of the leading companies in the space sector, has participated along with ESA in the development of EGNOS and Galileo’s ground segments. The experience helps develop crucial systems to back up air navigation operations. Indra will be supported in the GNSS-Ü project by its German subsidiary AC-B to implement the systems and guarantee maintenance and performance.

GPS is used in Germany for navigation from en-route down to NPA at more then 40 airports.

EGNOS is expecting certification for air navigation beginning 2011.

The system to be implemented in Germany will be one of the first ones to enter service and to back up air traffic.

About AC-B
AC-B maintains the systems VAN (Value Added Network / national communication system) and RAIM-APS (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring – Availability Prediction System) of the German air navigation service provider DFS.

AC-B is a “Notified Body” of the European Community for AMHS conformance verification and  offers services in the area of AMHS like AMHS training and AMHS Conformance Tests. Test tools for automated test execution are available for AMHS, ATS Messaging using FMTP and some other special applications of DFS. The company site is Markdorf, Germany.

For further information, please contact:

Jürgen Kammerer, Chief Operating Officer
AC-B GmbH
Hauptstr. 30
Markdorf, Germany

Tel: +49 (0)7544-509530
Fax : +49 (0)7544-509599
E-mail : juergen.kammerer@ac-b.de
Web Site : www.ac-b.de