India is poised to become a world leader

In an interview with SP’s AirBuz, Rob Bracewell, General Manager of International Sales, Mission Critical Networks Business, Harris Corporation, bets big on the Indian opportunities.

SP’s AirBuz (SP’s): Managing airspace today is challenging due to congestion at airports and lower response time for air traffic controllers. Could you spell out how Harris has worked out the roadmap for airspace management?

Rob Bracewell (Bracewell): As air traffic volumes intensify, the need for controllers to have quick and easy access to flight data information is becoming increasingly more important. Harris assists ATC personnel manage their airspaces safely and securely using state-of-the-art communications technology. Providing controllers with vital flight details where and when they need it is central to operating a successful ATC environment. One such way involves integrating air traffic automation information and vital weather data into the same display giving users a customizable interface that provides pertinent information and saves them from having to scan multiple screens. With just the touch of a finger, users can gain simple, fast, efficient access to their communications resources allowing them to make well-informed decisions that result in safe and secure airways. Investing in resources and equipping personnel with the tools they need to perform their duties effectively, is the key to successful implementation.

SP’s: What kind of technologies are developed to improve the on-time performance? What can be expected from implementation of NextGen ATM solutions?

Bracewell: NextGen is a collection of new programmes and technologies and newly developed operational processes that take advantage of these new technologies to improve and optimise the use of finite airspace. These range from communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) to system wide information management (SWIM) which seeks to efficiently distribute information between producers and consumers of information. There are a wide range of tools and technologies that are being developed and deployed to improve the on-time performance of the airline industry, buy the real key to improving ATM operations is the sharing and collaboration of mission critical information between air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airlines operations centres.

SP’s: Navigation of aircraft through inclement weather is a challenge. How does the NextGen system help circumvent such natural impediments and add to better flight management?

Bracewell: NextGen and the entire meteorology community have been working on building new sensors (terrestrial and space), weather processors, and algorithms that can be fed into software applications to improve weather forecasting, and more importantly, to use them as “decision aids” for determining optimal flight routes and the management of alternative routes. The FAA has a programme called network-enabled weather (NNEW) and another one called the NextGen weather processor (NWP) along with the national weather service programme called 4D weather cube, which are aimed at providing improved weather information for improved route maps when inclement weather effects flight management. The key will be how fast the rest of the global aviation community adopts these meteorological/aviation improvement programmes like the FAA has done.

SP’s: In the Indian airspace, aviation communication infrastructure is in nascent stage and there are many challenges. How can Harris help overcome these challenges in air traffic management in India and what solutions would best suit the Indian requirements?

Bracewell: From large-scale systems integration to customized ATC products, Harris provides highly reliable mission-critical communications systems worldwide. In the United States, Harris is a leader in development and integration of communications for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). One such success is the FAA’s Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI), which provides the network backbone for ATC operations and administrative functions for the FAA. Harris was challenged to design, develop, deploy and operate a telecommunications infrastructure that replaced and modernised the legacy multilayer combination of government-owned, leased, operated and separately managed and maintained systems with a single communications solution for the FAA. Today Harris’ FTI network provides the heartbeat for voice and data communications—around-theclock and around the globe.

Harris is also the supplier for the world’s largest voice control switches used by the FAA at their 21 en route centres. These switches support 480 positions while providing 99.999999 per cent availability.

India is poised to become a world leader in air traffic management and control systems through its implementation of GAGAN, ADS-B, and other NextGen initiatives. Like it does for the United States, Harris would be pleased to partner with India to develop a secure reliable network the country can be proud of.