ANSL brings its expertise in Remote Tower Control to the Royal Navy

Air Navigation Solutions (ANSL) is supporting Osprey Consulting Services Ltd (Osprey) in its provision of operational acceptance and safety assurance services for the Remote Tower Solution at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose and at Culdrose’s Predannack Airfield in Cornwall. The digital Remote Tower will be the first of its kind to be used by the UK Armed Forces.

The ANSL team for this contract includes Paul Diestelkamp, Head of Business Development & Solutions. Paul is one of a handful of experts worldwide who has not only developed but successfully ensured the delivery of a Remote Tower Control (RTC) solution, having served as Operational Project Manager for the RTC solution which is now operational at Saarbrücken Airport in Germany.

Paul will work alongside Pam Laycock, Lead Investigator at ANSL, who formed part of the team that delivered a digital Remote Tower into operational use at Jersey Airport in 2019. Pam both designed and undertook the EASA-approved conversion training plan, and has extensive experience of implementing and operating a Remote Tower.

ANSL will lend its expertise in and experience of developing and implementing RTC solutions to the acceptance and safety assurance component of the project, complementing the experienced Osprey team. These activities form part of the ultimate ambition of a fully endorsed, certified and operationally capable system at RNAS Predannack by April 2022.

Paul Diestelkamp, Head of Business Development & Solutions at ANSL, said: “RTC solutions have been delivering benefits in the civil sector for years, and it is exciting to be bringing this operational flexibility and cost-saving to the Royal Navy for the first time.

“ANSL’s extensive knowledge of the operational and technical aspects of implementing RTC solutions stands it in good stead to support Osprey in this and potential future contracts with the MOD.”

Rich Connelly, Managing Director at Osprey, said: “ANSL is a long-standing and highly-regarded partner of Osprey, and working with them on this project was the natural choice given their staff’s practical experience in delivering RTC solutions.”

Used widely within civil aviation, RTC solutions make use of innovative technology to increase flexibility and reduce costs – enabling a more agile workforce, savings in infrastructure, and enhanced safety for air systems. The installation at RNAS Predannack, as the ‘first of type’ for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), could provide a foundation for the wider introduction of RTC solutions – the benefits of which increase with scale.