Skybridge Spectrum Foundation & Telesaurus LLCs - Sky-Tel - Berkeley California USA

December 2009

This following is a compilation of articles and brochures from leading authorities and
equipment companies on current and developing Multilateration TDOA location systems
used both for tracking of aircraft in flight (take offs and landings mostly) and also for
tracking of ground vehicles and aircraft at airports.

These are republished, including on Scribd, by Skybridge Spectrum Foundation and

Telesaurus LLCs (Sky-Tel) (Berkeley, California).

Sky-Tel holds 200 and 900 MHz FCC licenses (CMRS and PMRS) nationwide in the US for
C-HALO (Cooperative High Accuracy Location) and tightly integrated communications for
Smart Transport, Energy, and Environment Radio (STEER) systems, with no-charge core
services for highway safety and flow, better energy systems, and environmental
monitoring and protection. C-HALO employs various methods of advanced Position,
Navigation and Timing (PNT).

Sky-Tel C-HALO will commence with use of GPS-GNSS with N-RTK, and in a second
phase, multilateration (whose transmitters are sometimes called pseudolites), INS, and
other mobile location techniques.

As the following shows, Multilateration has expanded dramatically in form, function, and
applications in the last two decades, as is now being widely deployed. It is very reliable
and cost effective. Its accuracy for the above-noted airport vehicle use, coupled with
corrected-GPS (N-RTK will improve over what airports now use) is sufficient for the
purposes described herein below. Sky-Tel will need to improve the accuracy for C-HALO
lane-based roadway applications, and that appears possible with improvements in
synchronization now available (even without Chip Scale Atomic clocks and tightly
integrated MEMS INS, etc.—see the Sky-Tel material on Schrib on that topic). Thus:

GNSS (GPS and other GNSS combined) with Network RTK (N-RTK) will form the foun-
dation for C-HALO for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and the broader STEER.

This will need further augmentation in urban and rural “canyons” due to the blockage
of GNSS satellites and RF multipath created in those environments that cause GNSS even
with N-RTK to be insufficiently accurate and reliable. Even heavy traffic in multiple lanes,
given large trucks and busses passing by, can cause blockage and multipath.

This further augmentation will be provided by Multilateration, INS, CSAC, AoA from
nearby ITS roadside communication sites, multi-vehicle positioning coordination (MVPC:
at a given time, one or more vehicles in proximity will not be subject to blockage and
multipath, and can inform others, to resolve multipath and blockage) and other means.

Multiple location techniques are also essential in mission-critical ITS and STEER for
redundancy and higher consistency for the same reasons that is essential for aircraft as
described in a Sky-Tel compilation on aircraft and airport Multilateration below.
International Cooperation on Airport Surveillance http://www.icas-group.org/icasgroup/industry-news/20071115-sensis-dub...

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Sensis Corporation to Provide Multilateration to Dubai

World Central International Airport
Airport to Receive Most Proven Multilateration System Available

Sensis Corporation announced that it will integrate with the Park Air Systems Advanced – Surface Movement Guidance and
Control System its multilateration surveillance system, Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS), for ground surveillance
at Dubai World Central International Airport (Dubai World Central). Under construction South of Dubai in the United Arab
Emirates, Dubai World Central will be the world’s largest passenger and cargo hub with an annual capacity of over 12
million tons of cargo and in excess of 120 million passengers. With one proven, uniform architecture, Sensis MDS will
provide high-accuracy multilateration surveillance as well as the ability for future transition to Automatic Dependent
Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B).

Dubai World Central is planned to have six parallel runways – three on each side of a centrally located passenger complex.
Additionally, each runway will have extended paved pathways on either side which will allow aircraft to by-pass other
runways and taxiways without disturbing aircraft movements. Initially, Sensis MDS will be deployed to cover the first
runway and taxi areas as well as the apron and stand areas.

Sensis MDS, a transponder multilateration surveillance system, provides precision equal to or better than traditional airport
surveillance radar as well as higher update rates. Additionally, it provides consistent surveillance performance regardless of
weather conditions.

“Multilateration is a flexible solution that can easily grow as an airport grows, making it an ideal solution for Dubai World
Central,” said Tony LoBrutto, Vice President and General Manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems. “The low cost,
non-rotating sensors are a proven solution for surface, wide area and even en-route surveillance. And the ability to support
ADS-B ensures that this investment will support the airport’s future needs.”

Sensis multilateration has been the solution of choice for more than 20 major airports throughout Europe, Canada and Asia.
Additionally, it is a core component of the FAA’s Airport Surface Detection Equipment – Model X (ASDE-X) system which
Sensis is installing at 35 airports across the U.S.

ABOUT SENSIS CORPORATION

Sensis Corporation provides sensors, information technology, and simulation and modeling to the world’s air navigation
service providers, civil aviation authorities, airports, airlines and militaries. Sensis Corporation solutions are deployed
around the world. For more information regarding Sensis Corporation, visit www.sensis.com.

ABOUT PARK AIR SYSTEMS

Park Air Systems provides Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) solutions for the world's airspace. It
currently has an installed base encompassing 167 countries. A multi-national operation with facilities in Europe, USA and
Asia, the company is dedicated to implementing advanced air traffic control systems. Throughout Park Air Systems' history
the organisation has specialised in providing leading-edge systems to both aviation and other transport applications. Today
Park Air Systems dedicates itself completely to designing, manufacturing and installing ground-based systems for use in air
traffic control and air defence applications. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation.
For more information: www.parkairsystems.com.

ABOUT DUBAI WORLD CENTRAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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International Cooperation on Airport Surveillance http://www.icas-group.org/icasgroup/industry-news/20071115-sensis-dub...

At the heart of a huge new community is the Dubai World Central International Airport, the world's largest passenger and
cargo hub, ten times larger than Dubai International Airport and Dubai Cargo Village combined. The airport will have an
annual cargo capacity of 12 million tons, more than three times that of Memphis, today's largest cargo hub, and a passenger
capacity of more than 120 million - almost 50% more than Atlanta, currently the world's busiest passenger airport. Built for
the future, Dubai World Central International Airport has been designed to handle all next-generation aircraft, including the
A380 super-jumbo. Up to four aircraft will be able to land simultaneously, 24 hours a day, minimising in-air queuing. For
more information: www.dwc.ae.

Liability for the content of the news assumed by the issuer.

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INDUSTRY-NEWS

NATS Selects Era Systems Corporation for UK Height Monitoring Unit

Era has signed a contract to provide a comprehensive height monitoring unit to the United Kingdom air traffic
control provider NATS. >> more

Safety and efficiency further increases at Dublin Airport

The Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) supplied by HITT officially became
operational at Dublin Airport last week. The system ensures safe and efficient movement of vehicles and aircraft in
all weather conditions. >> more

Luftfartsverket Selects Sensis VeeLo NextGen for Vehicle Tracking at Stockholm Arlanda International Airport

Air Traffic Controllers to Receive Improved Situational Awareness of Vehicles on the Airport’s Surface >>
more

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Sensis Corporation - Luftfartsverket Selects Sensis VeeLo NextGen for Ve... http://www.sensis.com/docs/791/

Luftfartsverket Selects Sensis VeeLo NextGen for

Vehicle Tracking at Stockholm Arlanda
International Airport
EAST SYRACUSE, NY – December 14, 2009 – Luftfartsverket (LFV) has
selected Sensis Corporation’s VeeLo NextGen™ vehicle locator unit for
Stockholm Arlanda International Airport. LFV will deploy VeeLo NextGen on
vehicles operating on Arlanda’s runways and taxiways to enhance the air traffic
controllers’ situational awareness of surface operations and reduce the risk of
runway incursions. The agreement includes the purchase of up to 160 VeeLo
NextGens, along with support, maintenance and training services over a
two-year period.

“The Sensis VeeLo NextGen vehicle locator met or exceeded our

requirements,” said Anders Andersson, ATM system manager of LFV. “Using
VeeLo NextGen will greatly improve the surveillance of vehicles operating on
the surface of Arlanda in all weather conditions.”

VeeLo NextGen attains its location from a Satellite-Based Augmentation

System (SBAS)-enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and
broadcasts its location and identity using the Mode S Extended Squitter
Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) message format. The
VeeLo NextGen’s rugged, weather-resistant enclosure can be temporarily or
permanently mounted on the exterior of an airport surface vehicle. Its low
power consumption allows VeeLo NextGen to be operated from a vehicle’s
accessory power outlet. Further, the vehicle locator can be field-configured
using a PC serial interface and VeeLo NextGen software.

“VeeLo NextGen has the unique ability to automatically shut off transmission
when the vehicle exits a predetermined operating area,” said Marc Viggiano,
chief operating officer of Sensis Corporation. “This enables air navigation
service providers to better manage limited broadcast spectrum.”

Ten air navigation service providers have selected Sensis VeeLo NextGen for
deployment at more than twelve airports across four continents.

Print

Copyright ©1999-2009 Sensis Corporation Privacy Policy & Terms of Use Home

Sky-Tel 3 of 45
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Worldwide Adoption of Multilateration http://www.multilateration.com/adoption/worldwide.html

Home Surveillance Applications Pioneers Adoption ADS-B Benefits Resources

Adoption MLAT Around the World China Austria USA Australia Canada North Sea New Zealand Certification

The use of multilateration has been growing globally in recent years.

Interestingly, the very nature of multilateration deployments around
the world, their various applications and characteristics,
underscores the tremendous flexibility of the technology.

This section highlights some unique worldwide applications of

multilateration, and discusses the specific requirements of each that
the system has successfully addressed. This is followed by a
description of the certification process used in vthese applications to
assure that the performance and safety levels traditionally applied
to secondary radar are met, and in many areas exceeded, by
multilateration surveillance systems.

Currently, aviation’s Communications, Navigation and Surveillance

(CNS) systems are gradually transitioning from the traditional
approach of specifying the precise technical characteristics of
The global adoption of multilateration is illustrated in the map above with
individual systems to a “performance-based” standard applicable to highlighted countries deploying multilateration systems across six continents.
all systems in each of the three CNS groups. Under this new
certification approach to surveillance, for example, multilateration
and secondary radar — which are very different technically —
would be required to meet identical levels of performance.

Produced by CREATIVERGE. With Support from SRA INTERNATIONAL.

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United States of America http://www.multilateration.com/adoption/usa.html

Home Surveillance Applications Pioneers Adoption ADS-B Benefits Resources

Adoption MLAT Around the World China Austria USA Australia Canada North Sea New Zealand Certification

ASDE-X
The US Federal Aviation Administration was an early
adopter of multilateration when it launched its
ASDE-X program in 2000. The system fuses returns
from a primary surface radar with data from an array of
multilateration sensors around an airport to provide a complete
picture of surface movements. The system is currently being
installed at 35 leading US airports, replacing earlier,
non-multilateration radar systems. ASDE-X also incorporates a
predictive multilateration program to alert controllers of potential
conflicts between surface traffic and approaching aircraft.

Colorado
Colorado, one of America’s leading winter vacation destinations,
Aspen Airport
has launched a state-wide multilateration program to dramatically
increase access to ten mountain airports. Poor radar coverage had
imposed 30 NM buffers” between approaching aircraft, resulting in
excessive delays and cancellations. Purchasing traditional radars to
adequately cover each airport was estimated at $7 million per radar,
excluding installation and maintenance, for a total of $70 million.
Small, high accuracy multilateration stations covering all airports,
and bringing 5-mile approach separations, will total $15 million.
Colorado is purchasing the equipment, with the FAA assuming
ownership, operation and maintenance after commissioning.

Produced by CREATIVERGE. With Support from SRA INTERNATIONAL.

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Applications of Multilateration http://www.multilateration.com/applications/overview.html

Home Surveillance Applications Pioneers Adoption ADS-B Benefits Resources

Applications Overview Surface Terminal WAM PRM HMU Environmental Mgmt Airport Ops and Revenue Mgmt

Multilateration has introduced a completely new way of thinking

about meeting the needs of ANSPs to upgrade, expand or create
new areas of airspace surveillance. In the past, the requirement to
cover a given airspace could only be considered in terms of
traditional SSR performance, where the system’s limitations often
called for compromises in coverage, the need for additional “gap
filling” installations or limitations on where aircraft could safely
maneuver. With multilateration, those limitations no longer apply.

Multilateration’s unique ability to be precisely “tailored” to completely

meet the coverage requirements for a wide range of applications
has resulted in the elimination of surveillance gaps. This has been
coupled with equivalent — and often superior — performance over
SSR throughout the covered area, at a significantly lower cost.

Furthermore, future surveillance changes that are required to

accommodate new approach, departure or over flight procedures
can be readily and inexpensively achieved by the addition of the
system’s small, unmanned and easily installed sensor stations.

This extreme flexibility allows a totally different planning approach to

traditional, radar-based airspace reconfiguration. In a radar
environment, the controlling factor in airspace changes has always
been to restrict any desired changes to those that can either remain
with the fixed coverage of the established SSR, or those that will
require major investment in relocating the radar or acquiring
additional units.

Multilateration can therefore be seen as not only a tool to increase

airspace utilization and operational efficiency, but as also offering
significant economic benefits and flexibility.

Any multilateration ground station can be used for multiple

applications. This allows for greater cost savings and expansion
capabilities.

Produced by CREATIVERGE. With Support from SRA INTERNATIONAL.

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Airport Surface http://www.multilateration.com/applications/surface.html

Home Surveillance Applications Pioneers Adoption ADS-B Benefits Resources

Applications Overview Surface Terminal WAM PRM HMU Environmental Mgmt Airport Ops and Revenue Mgmt

While the multilateration concept was originally developed for
military air surveillance purposes, one of its earliest civil aviation
applications was in the monitoring of aircraft movements on the
airport’s surface. Today, multilateration is a vital element of
Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems
Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems
(A-SMGCS)
Copenhagen Airport’s A-SMGCS fuses highly accurate position and
identification data from MLAT ground stations and vehicle tracking units with
SMR data.

(A-SMGCS), which are currently being deployed at many of the

world’s major airports.

Prior to the introduction of multilateration, airport surface

surveillance was performed by radar — called either Airport Surface
Detection Equipment (ASDE) or Surface Movement Radar (SMR)
— with its rapidly rotating antenna typically mounted above the
control tower for optimum view of the airport surface. However, it
was quickly realized that the radar’s line of sight was blocked by the
large airport terminal buildings, hangars and other obstacles,
preventing its view of many critical movement areas. Heavy rain
was also found to severely affect SMR performance.
The addition of strategically positioned multilateration stations
provides ground controllers with a clear view of every “hidden” area
of the airport surface, with greatly enhanced accuracy and
improved target discrimination, regardless of the weather
conditions.

Unlike SMR, multilateration also provides unique identification of all

aircraft — and not just a “blob” — and stops tags from jumping from
one target to another as they would get near each other.

Another benefit is that small squitter devices, with unique

identification codes, can be mounted on surface vehicles and fully
integrated into the A-SMGCS.
Multilateration-supported A-SMGCS installations are in very wide
use at major airports around the world, and have made a major
A-SMGCS platforms utilizing multilateration have become the industry standard
at the world’s busiest airports to reduce the increasing risk of runway incursions
as operations grow and surface congestion increases. MLAT expands coverage
areas, identifies aircraft, tracks vehicles and maintains performance in all
weather conditions.

contribution to the reduction in runway incursion incidents.

Produced by CREATIVERGE. With Support from SRA INTERNATIONAL.

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Online Article

The Oslo, Norway multilateration system provides surface movement surveillance

The expanding use of Multilateration

By David Jensen

When multilateration entered the civil air traffic control (ATC) marketplace in the 1990s,
it largely was to provide surface movement surveillance. The technology has since been
tasked to do much more, and additional applications are being explored.

Multilateration, or MLat, is both backward compatible with secondary surveillance radar

(SSR) and can be forward compatible with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast
(ADS-B). ADS-B is a developing technology viewed as a significant component in the
Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) NextGen and Eurocontrol's Single European
Sky ATM Research (SESAR) modernization programs. Radar, MLat, and ADS-B all
utilize transponder transmissions to perform the corresponding function of pinpointing
aircraft positions.

MLat, therefore, is often viewed as a fitting technological bridge between surveillance

radar and ADS-B. "It's as accurate [as ADS-B] yet doesn't require ADS-B avionics," says
Bill Colligan, vice president and general manager of Era Systems Corp. in Fairfax, Va.

Multiple applications

MLat has come a long way since the 1990s largely because wide area multilateration
(WAM) has been developed to provide surveillance well beyond airports. In one
application or another MLat is in use in locations as diverse as Tasmania, Mongolia,
South Africa, India, Chile and, of course, Europe and North America. Developing
countries that find SSR too pricey to purchase and maintain, have "leapfrogged"
technologically to the relatively less expensive and more advanced MLat.

Multilateration's applications, too, are diverse. Consider the following established,

or proposed, installations:

Sky-Tel 8 of 45
* In Innsbruck, Austria, MLat provides terminal area surveillance where radar is unable
to accommodate full coverage between the towering mountains flanking the Innsbruck
Valley. Since 2005, the 11 MLat ground stations there have provided coverage up to
8,000 feet over a 350-square-nautical-mile area.

* In the North Sea oil patch, MLat will be monitoring offshore helicopter traffic beyond
SSR's 80-nm range. Ground stations (in this case, "over water" stations) on 16 deep-water
oilrigs are slated to be fully operational by summer 2010.

* At the U.S. Marine Corps' 29 Palms Air Ground Combat Center, the 32 MLat ground
stations provide aircraft-positioning accuracy in an area where considerable live
ammunition is fired.

* In Santa Clara, Calif., MLat is used for both airport operations management and
aircraft noise monitoring. Unlike radar, it is geo referenced and, therefore, can accurately
determine an aircraft's position relative to the ground, an important factor in noise
monitoring.

* [Also in Colorado, and at Dulles and Reagan Airports near Washington DC.]

* At Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport, multilateration provides precision runway

monitoring that allows simultaneous parallel approaches to closely spaced (between 3,400
and 4,300 feet) runways.

* In Namibia, a nationwide surveillance system is planned using MLat. The African

country has no radar.

* At Beijing, China, multilateration is used for enhanced terminal surveillance.

* In Frankfurt, the first WAM installed in Germany provides surveillance for one of
Europe's busiest airspaces. It was added to existing surface-monitoring system, and like
nearly all ATC MLat systems, the WAM will process ADS-B messages.

* And in Sydney, Australia, MLat will monitor precision approaches and, starting in
2010, will provide wide area surveillance. The technology serves Airservices Australia as
an interim surveillance system until it fully establishes its ADS-B network.

While surface movement radar must serve solely in an ATC capacity, MLat can determine
landing-fee billings, as well as monitor movements of aircraft on the ground. On average,
landing fees represent at least one-third of an airport's revenue.

In the U.S., United Kingdom, Austria, and other countries, MLat also serves as a height-
monitoring tool for certifying aircraft operating in a reduced vertical separation minima
(RVSM) environment. Certification authorities require that onboard altimetry must be
verified every two years.

MLat's roots

Like many advancement in aviation, MLat has its roots in the military, dating back to the

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1960s. One of its earliest applications was passively tracking "bad guys" bearing devices
that emit electromagnetic signals.

Today there remains a strong military market for the technology, in air defense, range
control and, still, enemy detection, among other missions. However, worldwide, a
majority of the MLat systems serve a civil use, says Colligan.

The Czech Republic's air navigation service provider (ANSP) was a pioneer in MLat's
civil use. When Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin designated the
country as a "pocket of excellence" for surveillance technology. Emphasis in advancing
the technology continued after the Soviet Union was dissolved.

Prague-Ruzyne International Airport was first to employ multilateration as an advanced

surface movement guidance and control system (A-SMGCS), in 2001. (The first FAA-
approved A-SMGCS, certified in 2003, is at Gen. Mitchell International Airport in
Milwaukee, Wis.)

In 2002, the first WAM became operational in Ostrava, to assure aircraft are separated by
at least 3 nautical miles. In 2007, the Czech ANSP was first to add wide area surveillance
to A-SMGCS, in Prague. In all cases, MLat's accuracy met the International Civil
Aviation Organization's (ICAO's) and Eurocontrol's radar certification standards.

Era was instrumental in the Czech Republic reaching its milestones. The U.S. company,
Rannoch Corp., acquired Czech-based Era in 2006 and maintained its internationally
familiar name. Prior to the buy-out, the Czech company's business was primarily outside
the U.S.

In 2008, Fairfax-based SRA International Inc., a government contractor with deep roots in
the IT field, chose to enter a product-oriented business by acquiring Era.

The company's primary competitors are Sensis Corp., Syracuse, N.Y., and France's
Thales. Thales North America is teamed with ITT to pursue the multilateration and ADS-
B markets in the U.S. and Canada. [Also, Roke – Simens based in UK.]

How it works

Multilateration can be a passive surveillance system. It accurately determines aircraft

positions by receiving Mode A, C or S transponder signals that are responses to SSR
interrogation. With four receivers, a central processing unit can calculate an aircraft's
position in three dimensions by computing the time difference of arrival (TDOA).

A transponder's emitted pulse will reach the receivers at difference times, and calculation
of those differences will determine an aircraft's position. The system does not need to
know exactly when the pulse was emitted, only the difference in time it is received.

TDOA distinguishes MLat from ADS-B, though they both use ground stations that listen
to transponder signals. With ADS-B, the ground station receives a transmission of an
aircraft's GPS position, altitude and ID from an onboard Mode S transponder.

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MLat computes the signal-receiving-time differences of a transmission coming from a
Mode A (ID only) or Mode C (ID and altitude) transponders, as well as from Mode S.

MLat proponents believe multilateration would be an ideal backup to ADS-B. "It can
carry you through in case of a GPS outage," suggests Marc Viggiano, Sensis Corp.'s chief
operating officer.

Sensis, Era, and Thales all manufacture dual-use, MLat/ADS-B sensors. "Multilateration
can be used to verify ADS-B tracks," says Colligan.

Regardless the segment of flight under surveillance – en-route, terminal area or approach
and after touchdown – the ground-based MLat sensors function the same, allowing for
flexibility and uncomplicated expansion.

"You can have sensors for airport surface monitoring, and then you can add more sensors
for precision approach, and more sensors yet for a radar substitute," Viggiano says.

MLat ground systems are more dependable and require less maintenance that SSR with its
moving parts. It can withstand lightning strikes, gale-force winds, torrential rain, sand and
dust storms, and extreme temperatures.

When MLat's positioning data is delivered to a ATC screen, the air traffic controller will
notice no difference from radar – except he or she may perceive the aircraft designations
tracking smoother. Secondary surveillance radar, with its rotating antenna, updates an
aircraft's position every four to five seconds, thus creating tracks with a "jumpy"
movement.

Conversely, the stationary multilateration (and ADS-B) sensors and central processor
deliver updates every second, so the aircraft designation on the controller's screen moves
smoothly.

A day will no doubt come when all controller screens will show smooth aircraft tracking.
But not quite yet. In the case of a WAM system Sensis installed in the Colorado Rockies,
the Denver area control center chose not to modify its software to accommodate the faster
updates. Hence, its MLat updates have been slowed to radar speed.

Certified in September, the Colorado system is the first WAM to receive FAA approval
for aircraft separation. Like the Innsbruck installation, the 26 ground stations around
Garfield County Regional Airport, Steamboat Springs Airport, Craig-Moffat County
Airport, and Yampa Valley Airport furnish terminal area surveillance in mountain valleys,
where radar contact is lost.

"These airports are so small they can't justify having radar," says Viggiano. Now aircraft
approaching the four airports, which serve a bustling snow skiing area, can be safely
separated in the terminal control area (TCA) and not have to wait until one lands and files
its arrival before another can enter the TCA.

Like SSR, MLat also can be an active surveillance system. In fact, multilateration
installations used for air traffic control have a rotating interrogator, operating on 1030

Sky-Tel 11 of 45
MHz frequency, collocated with the sensor.

An active MLat system "is best," according to Viggiano, "because you can be assured of
the update rate and of knowing the aircraft's altitude and ID." Unless an aircraft is ADS-B
equipped, a passive MLat system will not receive that input.

A promising market

More multilateration applications are being explored. Although MLat manufacturers keep
their cards close to their chests, Era's Colligan did say that "from a business perspective,
we see multilateration moving into airport surface management, to maximize airport
efficiency and attain better gate and ramp management and resource utilization."

Sensis sees a growing WAM market. "Multilateration offers service providers an

additional surveillance option, and an opportunity for lower costs, expanded coverage and
transition to ADS-B," says Viggiano. "Wide area multilateration is being selected to
replace or augment older rotating radars.

"It provides coverage in geographically constrained areas where rotating radars are not
practical," he adds. "Since WAM independently calculates an aircraft's position with
accuracy on a par with ADS-B, it offers an ideal backup to ADS-B and the ability to
coexist with other surveillance technologies.

Seeking a quieter Washington, D.C.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) recently installed Era

Systems Corp.'s AirScene.com noise and operations monitoring system (NOMS) at
Ronald Reagan/Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International
Airport.

NOMS was installed, in large part, because Reagan National is located near downtown,
where aircraft noise can be a sensitive issue, and Washington Dulles, which also is near a
population area, is the capital city's busiest airport.

AirScene.com is an integrated airport operations management tool that can be used for
revenue management and gate allocation, as well as for noise monitoring and other
applications. With tracking data from ADS-B and multilateration surveillance, the
system provides an airport with real-time access to all flight track information.

In addition, according to Era vice president Bill Colligan, "we are providing MWAA with
their first public portal to allow concerned citizens to file noise complaints over the web.
This will help airport staff continue their pioneering noise mitigation work."

The interactive web portal includes features such as online complaint entry, report
viewing, address location, noise abatement information and historic replay.

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Click here to enlarge image
Cape Town has a multilateration system has Era's wide area multilateration/ADS-B
system installed for terminal area surveillance.

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Posted by Comsoft GmbH |
Category: Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) | 27/02/2008 - 15:38:03

Wide Area Multilateration Introduction

Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) is an attractive new surveillance [location tracking] technique for Air
Traffic Control [and also for ground vehicle tracking at airports]. A network of distributed sensors receives
transponder signals from a target of interest, and forwards the received signals with precise timing information
to a Multilateration Server. There the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) technique is used for computing the
position of the target.

Multilateration (MLT) has a number of compelling advantages. The actual sensors are compact, purely passive,
and have minimal requirements for power and network connectivity. As an example, COMSOFT's Quadrant
MLT and ADS-B sensor needs about 10W of electrical power, weighs approximately 20 kg and is the size of a
laptop backpack. Once a site offers electricity and network connectivity, the installation of a ground station
requires just a couple of hours with minimum preparation. The ground station provides self-adjustment to the
RF environment and thus can be used operationally right after installation.

The sensor is designed from the ground up to be essentially maintenance-free. Due to their resistance to adverse
weather conditions and their minimal impact on the environment, sensors can easily being mounted in most
locations, making it possible to obtain an obstacle-free omnidirectional view. The multilateration controller is a
commercial-off-the-shelf server running in the benevolent operating conditions of a control centre. Accurate
time stamping at the ground stations ensures that network latency plays only a minor role for the integrity of the
surveillance function.

Low cost for the initial investment and infrastructure combined with the minimal ongoing operating expenses
make WAM networks appealing where the lifetime costs of a radar cannot be justified or afforded.

But not only the cost factor is compelling. Multilateration sensors take advantage of the squitter signals
transmitted by aircraft transponders, as well as of Mode-S and Mark-X secondary radar replies. They typically
offer an update rate well in excess of one per second, and with a suitable sensor configuration they offer a much
higher precision than secondary radar technology.

Principles of Multilateration

The TDOA technique takes advantage of the different travel times of signals from a target to spatially separated
sensor locations. Since electromagnetic signals propagate with the known speed of light c, the time difference of
arrival of the signal at different sensors translates into range difference between the target and the sensors (cf.
figure 1).

Sky-Tel 14 of 45
Figure 1: TDOA technique in wide area multilateration networks

A time difference ∆t = t2−t1 between the reception of the signal at sensor 1 and sensor 2 thus constrains the
position of a target to the set of points such that the distance from the target to sensor 2 is c·∆t smaller than the
distance from the target to sensor 1. As an example, if the signal arrives at both sensors at the same time, ∆t = 0
and the target has to be located somewhere on a plane perpendicular to the line connecting the two sensors and
equidistant from both (cf. figure 2).

In the general 2-dimensional case, the set of points compatible with a given time difference forms a particular
mathematical curve called a hyperbola, shown in figure 2 in blue. Depending on which sensor is closer to the
target, one or the other branch of the hyperbola applies. In the 3-dimensional case the set forms a curved surface
called a hyperboloid. While in the 3-dimensional case, two sensors confine the target position only to such a
surface, three sensor detections restrict it to the intersection of two hyperboloids (i.e. a single curve), and adding
a fourth sensor allows the unambiguous determination of the target position.

Figure 2: Possible target geometry for different TDOA values

Sky-Tel 15 of 45
While theoretically any four distributed sensors are sufficient to pinpoint a target, in practice the resolution and
accuracy of the measurements are finite. If this is taken into account, the geometry of the sensor configuration
has a major effect in determining the actual accuracy of the multilateration solution. If all sensor locations are at
similar directions from the target, even small uncertainties in the time measurement lead to large uncertainties in
the position. Thus, sensors are typically distributed over much of the area of interest. However, if the distance
between the sensors becomes too large, the risk that the more remote sensors completely miss a particular signal
increases. In general, the distance between any two sensors that are expected to contribute to a given solution
lies somewhere between 10 and 100 NM.

Most practically deployed sensor networks will use a minimum of five distributed sensors. This has two
advantages. First, having 5-fold coverage introduces an element of redundancy. Even if one sensor becomes
non-operational, the remaining network can be used to derive a full multilateration solution, thus providing
much higher availability than possible with a non-redundant network. Secondly, having redundant coverage
allows the central controller to select the subset of sensor detections with the most favourable geometry
providing the most accurate position result.

A further advantage of WAM systems is the nearly unlimited scalability of the concept. Additional sensors can
be added, either to overcome line-of-sight restrictions, to improve the geometry in certain areas, or to increase
the overall surveillance volume.

The planning of a multilateration system deployment needs to be supported by careful analysis and modelling.
Powerful tools allow the modelling of the coverage of individual sensors as well as the combined coverage of
sensor networks. A suitable analysis also predicts which level of accuracy can be achieved in different volumes
of interest (e.g. different altitudes) for a given sensor configuration.

Extending coverage with ADS-B

Multilateration determines the position of an aircraft based on the detection of its transmitted signals at multiple
receivers. As described above, the quality of the solution depends on the geometry of the sensor network as well
as on the position of the target with respect to it. In particular, positional uncertainty increases as targets move
outside the borders of the sensor network.

A multilateration solution also requires signal reception at four or more sensors. However, since sensor coverage
is restricted by the requirement for a clear line-of-sight, 4- or 5-fold coverage with a favourable geometry may
be hard to achieve, especially in areas with difficult terrain or in the presence of obstacles.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) [which is based on GPS- GNSS] is another attractive
new technology to provide ATC surveillance. ADS-B equipped aircraft periodically broadcast their own
position, determined via their navigation system and ultimately derived from GPS. The signal is collected by
ADS-B receivers, decoded, and used directly to build an air situation picture, either for ATC on the ground, or
to improve the situational awareness in the cockpit of other aircrafts.

ADS-B complements multilateration in a number of ways. Since the position is determined and encoded by the
aircraft, the accuracy is the same regardless of the concrete location of the aircraft in the coverage area.
Moreover, since only a single sensor is needed, it is much easier and cheaper to achieve full coverage over large
or complexly structured regions.

The Quadrant MLT and ADS-B sensor has the ability not only to detect telegrams in the 1090MHz Mode-S
downlink format and transmit them with a precise time stamp to a multilateration server; the sensor also decodes
the embedded ADS-B messages and translates them into an ASTERIX category 21 data stream describing the
air situation picture. With this capability, even single-sensor coverage is sufficient to determine the position and
attributes of ADS-B equipped aircraft. Thus, the same sensor network is able to deliver two independent

Sky-Tel 16 of 45
surveillance streams, one based on independent measurements, the second based on the reported position of the
aircraft.

High-Integrity ADS-B

The concept of ADS-B is impressive due to its simplicity. Instead of maintaining a complex and expensive
ground infrastructure to accurately determine the position of an aircraft, the aircraft downlinks its position,
together with unambiguous identifier, current course, speed and vertical movement. Since the information is
directly obtained from the avionics, ATC and pilot share and use the same information. There is only one
noteworthy drawback: If the GPS based positioning differs significantly from the actual position, there is no
means to detect this by an independent system.

To ensure a higher level of integrity, ADS-B [GPS-GNSS technique] can be combined with the TDOA
[multilateration] technique. As described above, it allows two sensors to restrict the position of an aircraft to a
hyperboloid, i.e. a very limited range of positions. An erroneous ADS-B position is very unlikely to fall onto
this hyperboloid, and hence can usually immediately be flagged as implausible. Even if a single ADS-B plot is
accidentally compatible with the TDOA derived restrictions, each new position report will be tested against a
different hyperboloid. Thus, the ADS-B position can be verified to a high degree of integrity using only two
sensors - a requirement much easier to meet than the 4-fold coverage needed for full multilateration.

This approach combines the simplicity and accuracy of ADS-B with an independent confirmation of the
announced position, resulting in a highly trustworthy surveillance system with less strict sensor placement
constraints than required for a full multilateration network.

In figure 3 the coverage results at flight level FL55 for a network of six sensors is visualized. The aim was to
cover the whole country of Slovenia with a minimum number of sensors positioned at specified sites. The
challenge is posed by the inhomogeneous terrain, with valleys at 1500ft elevation surrounded by mountains
reaching 5000ft, and occasional peaks rising up to 7000ft. Within the geographical confines of the network, full
multilateration coverage can be achieved. Sensor coverage is even redundant in most of the central region.
However, by additionally employing ADS-B, a much larger area to be covered. Even high-integrity ADS-B
already offers a valuable extension. While at flight level FL100 and up, nominal multilateration coverage is
achieved for a much larger region, the ADS-B coverage at FL55 is remarkable. Moreover, while the quality of
multilateration solutions degrades with distance from the sensor network, ADS-B reports have uniform high
quality, regardless of the position of the aircraft.

[Go to next page.]

Sky-Tel 17 of 45
Figure 3: Calculated MLT and ADS-B coverage at FL55 for a network of 6 sensors

Optimized Deployment Strategies

The flexibility of combined MLT and ADS-B sensors enables the exact tailoring of a surveillance solution to
individual needs. At a first level, single ADS-B sensors can be installed to complement existing radar solutions.
They can serve as fall-back systems and gap-fillers, by providing additional surveillance coverage in situations
where radar is restricted by line-of-sight.

Alternatively, current multilateration systems can be used as superior and more cost-effective drop-in
replacements for existing or planned secondary radar installations. This will result in a much improved
cost/performance ratio even without considering the additional capabilities of the system.

Such a network will offer significant side benefits. The ADS-B and high-integrity ADS-B reports will increase
the surveillance area, by providing high-quality surveillance data in cases where radar and MLT are restricted by
line-of-sight, or where the large distance from the target introduces inaccuracy for systems based on direct
measurements. As long as ADS-B is not mandatory, this information is especially useful for providing enhanced
situational awareness and as a planning tool.

Sky-Tel 18 of 45
Several large airspaces are on the road to a full ADS-B mandate. Moreover, national and international
organizations are working on regulatory standards to support the use of ADS-B as a replacement of radar. This
will immediately increase the value of existing and future WAM/ADS-B installations. In this case, radar-like
separation and similar services can be offered in the area covered by high-integrity ADS-B, with single-
coverage ADS-B serving as a high-quality fallback. Full multilateration will allow additional surveillance
options for the core area of interest, and the even wider coverage of pure ADS-B can support long-term traffic
flow planning, safe and convenient transfer of aircraft to and from neighbouring ATC regions, and a host of
informational services.

Wide Area Multilateration Conclusion

Multilateration and ADS-B are two compelling new technologies for cost-effective and future-proof surveillance
solutions. The current generation of combined ADS-B and multilateration sensors supports flexible deployment
and enables attractive applications even now. Since the same hardware is used to implement several different
surveillance solutions, systems can be scaled and extended as newly installed systems gradually take over more
and more responsibilities from conventional radars - starting with initial installations for increased situational
awareness, moving to gap-filling applications and wide-area multilateration as backups for secondary radar
systems, and finally to full radar replacement.

Article Co-author - Dr Susanne Och

Susanne Och studied Physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. She received her PhD in 1997
after spending also two years at a European research facility in Munich. With experience in Radar remote
sensing and software engineering she joined Comsoft's department for Surveillance Applications in 2007. Dr.
Och works in the field of ADS-B product development with focus on site analysis and implementation.

Sky-Tel 19 of 45
VeeLoNextGen
Mode S Based Vehicle Locator

TM

With air travel on the rise, airport surface vehicle congestion

is increasing, raising the risk of runway incursions.
To address this, airports equipped with multilateration,
A-SMGCS or ADS-B systems can easily integrate vehicle
locators into their surface surveillance picture.

Sensis VeeLo NextGen™, a Mode S based vehicle locator,

incorporates an improved WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and
broadcasts its location and identity using the Mode S
Extended Squitter ADS-B message format to accurately and
reliably detect, track and identify airport surface vehicles in
the same manner aircraft are tracked. The small, light-weight
unit can automatically end transmission when the vehicle
leaves the movement area. VeeLo NextGen connects directly
to the vehicle’s accessory power outlet.

VeeLo NextGen contains a 24-bit ICAO address and can

support a user defined alpha-numeric code (e.g., radio
callsigns). The unit installs on the external surface of any
airport vehicle and can be easily configured via PC.

Tracking and identification of airport surface vehicles

Benefits
WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and Mode S Extended Squitter ADS-B
transmitter for highly accurate, reliable positioning
Ability to automatically disable transmission when the vehicle
leaves movement area
Low power consumption for connection to accessory power outlet
Field configurable via PC

VeeLo NextGen as detected by Sensis A-SMGCS

Detect theDifference
Sky-Tel 20 of 45
VeeLoNextGen
Mode S Based Vehicle Locator
TM

MDS or ADS-B sensors collect signals from VeeLo

NextGen and transponder-equipped aircraft
to provide situational awareness.

MDS/ADS-B

MDS/ADS-B

VeeLoNextGen

VeeLoNextGen

MDS/ADS-B

VeeLo NextGenTM Specifications

Transmit Message Type: Pulse & Spectral
Conformance:
DF18 Identification, Surface
Position, and Operational Status DO-260A, D0-181C

Vehicle ID:
Messages per DO-260A

ADS-B Transmit Periods:

Field configurable

Surface Position: 0.5 seconds for vehicle in motion, 24-bit ICAO ID: Field configurable

Operating
5 seconds for vehicle at rest
Identification and Type: 5 seconds for vehicle in motion, Temperature: -30 to +55o C

Input Power:
10 seconds for vehicle at rest
Operational Status:
9 to 32 Volt DC, ~4 watts
5 seconds always

Transmit Power:
Transmit Frequency:
20 Watts peak power User is responsible for ensuring usage in accordance
1090 +/-1 MHz with local aviation and communication regulations.

While every effort is made to ensure data accuracy, please note that data may be subject to change.

Sensis Global Headquarters 85 Collamer Crossings East Syracuse, NY 13057 USA

Phone: +1 315 445 0550 Fax: +1 315 446 2209 www.sensis.com email: info@sensis.com
3/09 © Sensis Corporation 2004-2008

Sky-Tel 21 of 45
Aviation Programs
A Trusted Provider of Air Traffic Management Solutions

SRA is committed to delivering proven solutions for the world’s most

challenging air traffic management needs. Headquartered in Fairfax,
Va., with a strong history of government contracting success, SRA is
an established solutions provider and proven partner to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA).

With more than 100 government, commercial and military air traffic
control customers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East,
Africa, South America and Asia, SRA is an established world leader in
next-generation surveillance and flight tracking solutions and serves the
global Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) community with industry-
leading multilateration and ADS-B (automated dependent surveillance-
SRA provides Metro Washington Airport Authority with the world’s most advanced
broadcast) technologies. noise and operations monitoring software, which includes features such as noise
measurement, noise modeling and web-based community engagement.

Complex Systems Integration Engineering

The FAA requires proven industry partners positioned to advance its
most challenging goals. For example, in order to provide the most Research and Development
efficient air traffic management service in the future while maintaining SRA provides cutting-edge technology support to advance research
the highest levels of safety today, the FAA must seamlessly and development in the aviation industry. SRA has been a partner to the
transform legacy ATC systems into NextGen-capable solutions, FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center since 1987. Because of SRA’s
while simultaneously managing current airspace operations. Civil commitment to our customers, employees and the global community, we
government and defense customers have relied upon SRA’s systems are able to attract and retain leading experts in their field for this type of
integration solutions to successfully engineer complex systems. specialty research and development. True innovation and advancement
Advancing customers’ service delivery through disciplined research, requires very unique and talented individuals respected in their niche
systems architecture, applied change management and real-time fields. As a FORTUNE 100 Best Employer for 10 consecutive years, SRA
engineering is one of SRA’s core missions. Our services include: has the track record to meet government’s demands for an industry
partner who values and respects these very talented individuals as much
as the government does.
• Systems Architecture & Engineering
• Operations Research
Our Research and Development efforts
• Configuration Management
• Navigation & Surveillance Technology • Multilateration for ATM • Aircraft Fire
• Facility Engineering • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles • Safety Testing
• Next-Generation • Runway
Surveillance • Pavement Testing
• Human Factors

Sky-Tel 22 of 45
 S R A I nternationa l - A viation P rograms

Aligning Information Technology

with Your Business Priorities
Most IT infrastructures were developed in reaction to immediate
business needs without a strategy for long-term productivity. This
piecemeal approach to combining disparate systems and software
has created a complex, underutilized environment that is difficult
and costly to maintain. SRA brings balance to the infrastructure so it
can efficiently adapt to ever-changing business needs. Our experts
consider the people, processes and technologies that contribute to
our customers’ operating environment. This strategic view helps
us uncover ways to better align IT with the business and build a
JFK utilizes SRA’s next-generation surveillance technology for the state-of-the-art
foundation that will improve productivity, increase service levels and billing system.
control costs and risks. This performance-based approach is critical to
optimize the ANSP environment.
RE C OGN I Z ED FOR Q UAL I TY
• CMMI Level 3
• ISO 9001:2000
• IA-CMM version 3.1

SRA for the FAA National Airspace System

(NAS) Integration Support Contract (NISC III)
Achieving the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or
NextGen, is critically important to our nation’s ability to transport
people, goods and services, and is therefore a lynchpin in our ability
to sustain and grow our economy. The NAS is in the most intense
period of transformation it has ever experienced. The FAA, like most
of America, is faced with workforce challenges and its ability to
attract and retain the engineering talent it needs to transform to
NextGen. SRA has had the unique distinction of being a FORTUNE
100 Best Employer for 10 consecutive years. SRA has a history
as a FAA support contractor since 1989, has disciplined
systems integration experience, and is an employer of choice.
For the NISC III contract, SRA will deliver more than 1000 members
of the necessary supplemental workforce to the FAA, enabling
NextGen and helping our country realize its true economic growth
potential.
A Leader in Surveillance and
flight tracking solutions
SRA is the pioneer and world leader in next-generation surveillance
and flight tracking solutions with proven multilateration and automatic
dependent surveillance — broadcast (ADS-B) technologies. SRA is
providing high-performance and high-reliability surveillance with
hundreds of operational sensors to more than 100 commercial, air
traffic management and military customers in nearly 40 countries
throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South
America and Asia. And we offer trusted mission-critical systems
integration.
for more information
To learn more about SRA’s services and our capabilities
please contact us at (703)653-5360 or info@sra.com.

About SRA International, Inc.

SRA and its subsidiaries are dedicated to solving complex problems of global significance for government organizations serving the national security, civil government
and global health markets. Founded in 1978, the company and its subsidiaries have expertise in such areas as air surveillance and air traffic management; contract
research organization (CRO) services; cybersecurity; disaster response planning; enterprise resource planning; environmental strategies; IT systems, infrastructure
and managed services; logistics; public health preparedness; strategic management consulting; systems engineering; and wireless integration.

fortune® magazine has chosen SRA as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for ten consecutive years. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than
6,800 employees serving clients from headquarters in Fairfax, Va., and offices around the world. For additional information on SRA, please visit www.sra.com.

SRA, SRA International, Inc. and the SRA logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by SRA International, Inc.

SRA International, Inc. www.sra.com

DS114-270509
SRA considers the environment in all we do
Sky-Tel 23 of 45
Product
Overview

Benefits Vehicle Location Tracking

Incursion by ground vehicles into safety critical areas is a significant contributor
• Full A-SMGCS to the number of reported incidents and is a continued risk to aviation safety,
exploitation
especially in low visibility conditions. Era’s squitter beacon (Squid®) helps airports
• Safety address this issue by providing an easily installed and standards compliant
enhancements vehicle-mounted ADS-B transponder. Squid by Era broadcasts the position of
under all weather each vehicle using exactly the same technology used by aircraft. Squid by Era
conditions
can be permanently or magnetically mounted to tugs, fire appliances, de-icing
• Improved equipment and all airside vehicles. This ensures that the complete picture is
situational available to the control tower, with each vehicle clearly and uniquely identified,
awareness
providing an essential addition to any advanced surface movement guidance
• Reduced incursion and control system (A-SMGCS).
risk
Squid by Era is based on 1090 MHz Mode S spontaneous squitter with a unique
Mode S transmission. The Mode S address has a default value, which either
Features the user or Era can adjust. Each unit consists of an electronics unit, an antenna
assembly and a cover made out of a composite material. The cable that
feeds the unit and ensures data transmission is designed with a water-resistant
• Cost-effective
connector, operating reliably in all weather conditions. Rigorous standards
complement
to existing adherence means that Squid by Era devices will work seamlessly with existing
multilateration and ADS-B and multilateration surveillance solutions from other vendors.
ADS-B systems
To support various ATC surveillance tasks, Squid by Era can be installed on:
• Mode S address
adjustment • Airport vehicles
according to local • Temporary surface obstacles
conditions • General aviation aircraft
• Remote sites as a coverage tester and calibration tool
• Low
electromagnetic
emissions

• Small dimensions
and weight Shuttle 12 GND 1

• Low power
consumption

• Status LED and

GPS data output Tug 03 GND 0

Trolley 06 GND 0
• Fully automated Truck 47 GND 04
unattended
operation

Sky-Tel 24 of 45
 Design
Areas of
Squid by Era is small, lightweight and easy to install
Application
on any vehicle. The standard package includes:*

• Beacon case comprising of Squid by Era

•
• Surface
Surface surveillance
surveillance
electronics and both antennas (transmitting and GPS)
•
• A-SMGCS
A-SMGCS • Magnetic or fixed holder
• Cable
•
• Vehicle
Vehicle tracking
tracking • SW management tool package
•
• ADS-B
ADS-B
• User Guide

* Final delivery specifications and mechanical design of Squid by Era can be modified
according to the customer requirements.

Applied Standards
• ICAO ANNEX 10 Volume IV

Performance Parameters

Carrier frequency 1090 MHz

Output power 18 W (pulse)
Output message format Mode S reply DF 18 (ES/NT) according to Annex 10, Vol.4
Interface Resistant connector on the body of device (one connector both for
the power line and bi-directional RS232 link)
GPS data Available separately on the SQUID output, provided GPS data are
available from satellites.
Protocol NMEA 0183 v2.3; WAAS, EGNOS supported.
DC voltage +9 V to +32 V
Power consumption ~3W
Operating temperature -40°C to +70°C
Dimensions diameter 198 mm (7.8 in), height 157 mm (6.2 in)
Serviceability Possibility to connect any computer (via standard interface) with
software allowing to change the mode S DF 18 contents or to
upgrade the SQUID firmware.

United
United States
States Era Systems Corporation, an SRA International subsidiary, is the pioneer and world leader
1881
1881 Campus
Campus Commons
Commons Dr.
Dr. in next-generation surveillance and flight tracking solutions with proven multilateration
Suite
Suite 101
101 and automatic dependent surveillance — broadcast (ADS-B) technologies. Era systems
Reston,
Reston, VA
VA 20191
20191 are providing high-performance and high-reliability surveillance with hundreds of
Tel operational sensors to more than 100 commercial, air traffic management and military
Tel +1
+1 703
703 637
637 7283
7283
Fax +1
Fax +1 703
703 637
637 7245
7245 customers in over 40 countries throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East,
Africa, South America and Asia. Era is based in the U.S. with leading product research
and development centers of excellence throughout the country and Czech Republic. SRA
Czech
Czech Republic
Republic has a strong history of government contracting success and possesses the strength and
Prumyslova
Prumyslova 387
387 resources to be the trusted partner of the world’s leading air navigation service providers
530
530 03
03 Pardubice
Pardubice (ANSPs) today and in the future.
Czech
Czech Republic
Republic

Tel +420
Tel +420 467
467 004
004 253
253
Fax +420
Fax +420 466
466 670
670 461
461 For more information:
www.sra.com/era
www.sra.com/era
www.sra.com/era era@sra.com

Sky-Tel 25 of 45
Vigilance - Multilateration System | Wide Area and Airport Monitoring http://www.multilateration.eu/?utm_source=www-roke-co-uk&utm_med...

MLAT12 201209Z1842

Wide Area Multilateration

Vigilance provides a scalable and flexible solution for wide

area multilateration, height monitoring, airport operations W130.199, N77.4

monitoring and other similar roles.

Sky-Tel 26 of 45
1 of 1 12/20/2009 10:47 AM
Thales to deliver wide area multilateration System for Frankfurt airspace ... http://www.thalesgroup.com/Pages/PressRelease.aspx?id=7117

GROUP AEROSPACE SPACE DEFENCE SECURITY PORTFOLIO

THALES TO DELIVER WIDE AREA MULTILATERATION SYSTEM FOR

FRANKFURT AIRSPACE TO DFS
30 April 2009
Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS), the German Air Navigation Service Provider, has awarded Thales a contract for the
delivery, installation, training and commissioning of the PAM-FRA *1 system, the first operational wide area multilateration
(WAM) system in Germany.

Thales will provide a surveillance system that is fully compliant to DFS requirements and international safety standards. It will control
one of the most sophisticated and busiest airspaces in Europe and the world, an area covering 125 by 80 nautical miles. Around the
Frankfurt airport, it will be possible to fix on a target as low as 500 feet above the ground. Over a wider area, which also includes the
Hahn airport, Thales guarantees target acquisition starting at 1,000 feet above the ground. For the remainder of the coverage zone,
detection will commence at 3,000 feet above the ground. By choosing Thales's operational and innovative multilateration technology,
DFS may also benefit from the possibility to receive and process ADS-B messages from the same ground stations.

Paul Kahn, Managing Director of Thales's Navigation & Airport Solutions business, stated: "We are delighted to be working with DFS to
develop and deliver the latest air traffic surveillance technology for improving airspace safety and efficiency."

Dr. Markus Hellenthal, CEO of Thales Deutschland, commented on the contract award as follows: "We are particularly proud of this
success. It will strengthen the very good relationship between DFS and its long-term partner Thales. The implementation and leverage
of this world class ATM solution will significantly support the future wide spread use of this leading German multilateration technology
with other Air Navigation Service Provider within and outside of Europe."

The Thales multilateration system is part of a surveillance product family, to which ADS-B *2, TIS-B *3, FIS-B *4, ADS-R *5 also belong.
This modular product family can be configured for redundancies, multiple data links, multiple output power ratings for transmission, as
well as omnidirectional or sectored antennas, enabling it to be customized and cost optimized for almost all surveillance systems.

Thales is a world leader in multilateration technology and systems and has installations in Australia (coverage of the country's entire
airspace), the United States (in alliance with ITT for the American aviation authority FAA), Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain and Indonesia.

Notes to editors

*1 PAM-FRA is the DFS' project name for Precision Approach Monitoring Frankfurt air space

*2 ADS-B is an emerging technology that allows aircraft to periodically broadcast GPS position, altitude, speed and identity information.
The broadcast information may be received and processed by other aircraft or ground stations for use in improved situational
awareness, conflict avoidance and airspace management.

*3 TIS-B is an augmentation to ADS-B that facilitates transition from traditional radar surveillance to ADS-B by broadcasting traffic
information for non-ADS-B aircraft to ADS-B aircraft enabling on-board safety and efficiency applications.

*4 FIS-B is an augmentation to ADS-B which transmits graphical weather products, temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), and information
regarding special use airspace to assist the pilot in safe aircraft operations.

*5 ADS-R is an augmentation to ADS-B that facilitates the utilization of multiple ADS-B data links by translating the data received at a
ground station from one data link and re-broadcasting on another data link thus enabling aircraft equipped with different ADS-B data
links to monitor each other.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide.
Thales's leading-edge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and
dêploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. To this end, the group's civil and military businesses develop in parallel and
share common base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. The group builds its
growth on its unique multi-domestic strategy based on trusted partnerships with national customers and market players, while leveraging
its global expertise to support local technology and industrial development. Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with 2008
revenues of €12.7 million.

Sky-Tel 27 of 45
1 of 2 12/20/2009 10:55 AM
Thales to deliver wide area multilateration System for Frankfurt airspace ... http://www.thalesgroup.com/Pages/PressRelease.aspx?id=7117

Information about Thales's air systems capabilities can be found at http://wwww.thalesgroup.com/airsystems

Press contacts:

Thales, Air Systems

Laurence Luyckx
Tel. + 33 1 79 61 56 46
laurence.luyckx@thalesgroup.com

Thales, Corporate Communications

Caroline Philips
Tel. + 33 1 57 77 87 26
caroline.philips@thalesgroup.com

Sky-Tel 28 of 45
2 of 2 12/20/2009 10:55 AM
 ADS-B/MLAT/WAM

Patrick Lefevre

Rio de Janeiro, 27th August 2008

Air Systems Division

Sky-Tel 29 of 45
 Thales MSTS proposed for US ADS-B Program
Multi Sensor Tracking System

Integrated into ITT central processing

Data fusion (radar, ADS-B, WAM) for data validation and
TIS-B service

One MSTS per Domain Of Interest (~20 DOI over CONUS)

Interoperability module to ensure track consistency across
adjacent Domains Of Interest
DOI B

DOI A
Airport 2

Airport 1

15 Air Systems Division

Sky-Tel 30 of 45
 Thales other ADS-B main products

XS-950 - Mode S T/R incl. Extended Squitter

For Heavy carriers (Airbus, Boeing)

ACSS (THALES/L3-Com joint venture)

EUROCAT ATM automation system, STREAMS airport system

Process and display ADS-B tracks

Multi-Sensor Tracking System (Radar, ADS-B, WAM)

MOSQUITO vehicle locator

1090 MHz extended squitter

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 Thales 1090 ES References
• 700+ AS690 FAA (1st phase)
• 98 AS680 Airservices Australia
• 10 AS685 Eurocontrol, Bretigny, France for CASCADE
• 4 AS682 La Reunion and Corsica, DSNA, France
• 8 AS680 ENAV, Italy (Linate MAGS MLAT + ADS-B)
• 6 AS680 Astana and Almaty Airports, Kazakhstan (+ 80 Mosquitos)
• 5 AS680 EMMA I, Toulouse, France (MAGS MLAT + ADS-B)
• 4 AS680 Incheon Airport, IIAC, South Korea (+ 40 Mosquitos)
• 3 AS680 SITA, Indonesia
• 2 AS680 DFS, Langen, Germany
• 2 AS680 Lyon Airport, France (+ 30 Mosquitos)
• 2 AS680 Athens Airport, HCAA, Greece
• 2 AS680 TU Braunschweig, Germany
• 1 AS680 AENA,Madrid, Spain
• 1 AS680 Gannet, Reykjavik, Iceland
• 2 AS688 + 1 AS687 EMMA II, Toulouse, France
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 ADS-B Implementation

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 United States of America

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 Background : FAA Program Objective

Nationwide coverage of US airspace by ADS-B ground stations

(radios) replacing a layer of secondary surveillance radars

Complete airspace including airports and TMAs

All Ground Stations are Dual Link Radios:

1090 ES (Mode S, 1090 MHz) – targeted at Commercial Aviation

Universal Access Transceiver (UAT, 978 MHz) – for General Aviation

Critical und Essential Services are

Critical: Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B)

Critical: ADS-B Rebroadcast (ADS-R)
 TX of UAT ADS-B via 1090 ES and vice versa

Essential: Traffic Information Service Broadcast (TIS-B)
 Uplink of other, validated surveillance data (Radar) as ADS-B lookalike

Essential Flight Information Broadcast (FIS-B) (nur UAT)
 Uplink of weather, approach, active Runway, etc.

Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) is part of the US Next
Generation Air Traffic Control System (NGATS)

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 FAA SBS Services

Transmission of GNSS-Derived Position & Identity

Via Specialized Aviation Data Links 1090ES ADS-B Out
1090ES ADS-B In
1090ES ADS-B Out 1090ES TIS-B
1090ES ADS-R

UAT ADS-B Out

UAT & 1090 TIS-B
Uplink of Radar for
Non-ADS-B Targets UAT TIS-B
Traditional UAT ADS-R
Radar UAT & 1090 ADS-R
“Cross-Link” Rebroadcast

Processing to Integrate
Radar Data and Enable
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 New Requirements – New Equipment Design

Multiple Links (1090, 1030, UAT) required

Very High Fruit Environment specified
Multi-Sector Ground Stations
ADS-B Backup and Validation by Multilateration
Minimise number of ground stations – long range
Long Range also in Oceanic Airspace

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 New Generation Single Channel Receiver Ground Station

Used as Ground Station for

ADS-B and MLAT/WAM

PTM

SPB UAT

SPB 1090

Fan Module

Single or dual
Power Supply

2 U, 19” case

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 New Generation Multichannel Receiver Ground Station

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 MLAT/WAM

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 Applications of Multilateration

Airports : surveillance on the airport surface

Both aircraft and ground vehicles (fit with dedicated beacons)

Provide surveillance and identification data to the airport Surface

Movement Guidance and Control System

TMA and En-route : Wide Area Multilateration (WAM)

Provide ATC Coverage (pseudo SSR) in non-radar areas where SSR

cannot be installed (remote/desert areas/cost)

Enhance existing SSR coverage (to improve or provide redundancy of

existing single radar coverage),

Medium cost surveillance solution

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 THALES ADS-B/MLAT/WAM Ground Station

As ADS-B ground station

 1090 MHz Extended Squitter
 Full processing of ADS-B data
and target management
 Output Asterix category 021
 Covers up to 250 NM

As MAGS ground station

 Reception and bit-decoding of all Mode
A/C/Mode S downlink formats
 Accurate time stamp of received signals
(resolution of 7 nanoseconds)
 Output of raw data towards the central
processing station
 Video signal generation of 1090/1030 tx signals Indoor Cabinet

Power Supply
 Mode A/C transponder replies processing
xDSL Modem

 Mode S elementary surveillance, ready for Receiver Board

RX Filter box
Enhanced Surveillance MLAT Central
Ethernet Hub
UPS Processing Rack

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 MLAT/WAM sensors from Thales

Thales has currently an industrialised product as:

AS-680 ground station for ADS-B En-route/ TMA/surface surveillance

ADS-B vehicle tracking system: based on AS-680 and Mosquito

MAGS: Multilateration Air Ground Surveillance based on AS-680

Main contract references:

Helsinki Vantaa International airport : MAGS 15 GS (Mode A/C/S)

Linate Airport: MAGS, Operational 01/2007

Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, MAGS programme 2008

Toulouse EMMA-1 project: trial system for ADS-B surface surveillance including
vehicles and MAGS

LUFO programme: MAGS system for TCAS monitoring

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 Wide Area Multilateration

Thales believes that Wide Area Multilateration can be considered to

address specific operational needs for which radar is not an appropriate
solution:

Surveillance for approach in valleys or mountainous areas (when
ADS-B equipage will come too slowly)

Parallel Runway Monitor

However, doubtful that WAM is a solution to cover En-Route surveillance

Many sites to consider

Communication means between sites and central stations

Still requires interrogator for Mode A/C aircraft if no radar in vicinity

Assessment of degraded modes to be done (failure of receivers)

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Air Systems Division

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