While many of us have steered clear of air travel over the past two years, there are positive signs that the aviation sector is still active and showing potential for recovery.
ATDI has been active in this sector for over three decades, providing specialist aviation support services for the industry. Our customers include civil aviation authorities, air traffic controllers, airport operators, consultants, system integrators and network operators. Our experience gives us a unique perspective of the challenges facing the industry. In turn, we have developed key features and functions in our software solutions for this purpose. HTZ Communications is used across the industry for planning, modelling and the development of radiocommunication systems.
But don’t just take our word for it. The synopsis below gives an overview of some of our activities in this sector:
These vital resources support C-band air defence systems that are used to target detection, recognition and weapon control. Protecting these life-critical systems is essential. ATDI undertook a nationwide study in the UK looking at radio propagation, interference analysis and mitigation techniques to identify and mitigate risks. Similarly, ATDI provided consultancy studies for organisations looking to model the impact of windfarms and Avian radars on existing military and critical communication networks.
For full details of this study, click here.
View our latest webinar featuring 5G interference into aeronautical radars, click here.
The closer two aircraft are, the higher the likelihood of collisions. Never are planes in greater proximity or concentration than when on the ground, so effective coordination is essential as they taxi around the airport. A Middle-East airport is undergoing redevelopment and the construction of a new terminal building threatened to impact radio coverage on the ground and as aircraft land and take off. The study was completed for a system integrator who is contracted to build the new airport. ATDI constructed a 3D model of the terrain and the proposed new building, placing the proposed new radio sites in the modelling environment. Coverage predictions were completed to identify the interference from the new building. The analysis showed that with a combination of 5 radio sites, comprehensive coverage around the terminal building could be achieved.
Similarly, system integrator Haysys needed to understand whether an aircraft could be detected by ground control stations (direction finders) for take-off and landing at Belgium’s seven airports. Using 10W transmitters at different heights, ATDI was able to replicate the aircraft at various stages of take-off and landing, as well as those en route.
For the full report, click here.
The Civil Aviation Authority (UK) undertook a comprehensive review of the frequencies it uses for radars to see if any could be released without compromising aircraft safety. CAA turned to an ATDI consortium to identify whether 100MHz of the spectrum could be released from the S-Band radar frequency allocation by the 2020 deadline set by the UK regulator Ofcom. ATDI undertook a comprehensive review of the frequencies it assigned to radars in this band. The review concluded that an enhanced frequency planning method would allow the spectrum to be released. ATDI provided tools and methodology to model existing radar configurations and demonstrated the tools’ ability to optimise frequency assignment. The evidence produced by the review was a key component in formulating CAA’s recommendations for the potential release of the spectrum.
Check out the full white paper, here.
Analysing the potential cross-overs between MW path profiles and flight paths.
Recent software development in HTZ analyses the impact of flight paths on microwave link paths in and around an airport. This feature was added for the DGAC, the French Civilian Aviation Authority, who needed to assess the viability of predefined microwave links and the potential intersections between the Fresnel zone for each beam and the flight paths.
For full information, visit our case studies.
This article looks at how air to ground stations (A2G) are used for private LTE and 5G networks. This emerging technology offers an infinite number of opportunities for new applications and wireless network uses to industry. ATDI implemented a flight tracking feature to HTZ which analyses the impact of altitude, roll, pitch and heading of the aircraft, and analyses its effect on the DL/UL (thresholds) connections and the interference between A2G stations and the aircraft.
Click here for full details of this latest feature.
This article looks at the impact of interference between different spectrum allocations for life-critical systems at airports. ATDI prepared a study for DICT, the spectrum regulator in Seychelles, on the compatibility between Band II broadcast and instrument landing system (ILS) localiser. HTZ is fully compliant with ICAO, which sets standards for international air navigation across the globe. For the full article, click here.
