Austro Control Places Nation-wide Wide Area Multilateration System from Saab into Operation

Defense and security company Saab has announced that Austro Control, the Air Navigation Service Provider for Austria, has placed into operation its nation-wide Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) system from Saab. The WAM system, covering six Terminal Maneuvering Areas and the entire Austrian FIR plus a zone of 40NM in high density airspace, provides Austro Control controllers with highly accurate, one-second update rate surveillance of flights.

The WAM system is comprised of numerous sensors deployed throughout the country and a central processing system that provides data directly to Eurocontrol’s Air Traffic Management SuRveillance Tracker and Server (ARTAS) where ARTAS correlates WAM data with data from existing radars for a fused output. The WAM system provides one-second surveillance update, an improvement over secondary surveillance radar’s four second update rate. The initial operational use of the system is in the en-route airspace; the terminal area coverage volumes are expected to be integrated into full operational status in 2014.

Based on the success of the WAM system in the Innsbruck Valley, Austro Control decided to deploy WAM nationwide to complement and in some cases replace secondary surveillance radars. The new WAM system addresses the surveillance needs of today and prepares for future nationwide ADS-B coverage while significantly reducing lifecycle operating cost over traditional radar.

Saab multilateration uses multiple low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors to triangulate aircraft location based on transponder signals. This provides air traffic controllers with precise aircraft position and identification information regardless of weather conditions. With a higher update rate and greater positional accuracy than traditional radar, multilateration delivers effective surveillance for increased safety, capacity and efficiency of airspace and surface operations.

By employing advanced processing techniques, a Saab multilateration system uses the minimal number of sensors needed for a less complex, lower lifecycle cost solution. Additionally, each multilateration sensor deployed by Saab supports ADS-B, providing an infrastructure that is ready for today’s surveillance needs and tomorrow’s avionics.

“The Austria WAM system enhances safety through a higher update rate and is providing radar coverage in lower airspaces that previously had no coverage,” said Ken Kaminski, general manager of Saab ATM. “This complex, highly reliable system is capable of processing more than 2,000 targets while delivering better performance than the EUROCAE ED-142 standard requires.”

Almost 100 sites worldwide have chosen Saab multilateration to enhance safety, efficiency, capacity and cost savings through airport surface surveillance, wide area surveillance and airport surface management.