Czech Republic to revolutionise data transmissions with COMSOFT AMHS

Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic (ANS CR) has contracted COMSOFT for the supply of its market-leading AFTN/AMHS solution AIDA-NG and CADAS in order to transform the way aeronautical data are transmitted.

An intensive and thorough tender analysis by ANS-CR highlighted COMSOFT as the most responsive candidate, being fully compliant to the demanding and ambitious requirements. The solution will include a redundant AFTN/AMHS message switch and a replica test system, to be used as a contingency. Furthermore the client-server CADAS- ATS terminal system for the ATS end user will allow operators’ direct access to, and exchange of, aeronautical information such as flight plans, NOTAMs, and weather information.

Landlocked in Central Europe, the Czech Republic is bordered by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland, making upgrading its message handling facilities essential to manage the number of overflights in the Flight Information Region, Praha FIR. ANS CR is already familiar with COMSOFT’s expertise having worked together to install Radar Message Conversion and Distribution Equipment, RMCDE, in 2010 and EUROCONTROL’s surveillance tracker and server, ARTAS, in 2012 – for which COMSOFT has been EUROCONTROL’s industrial partner since 2001. By upgrading their message handling facilities with COMSOFT’s AIDA-NG and CADAS, ANS CR is positioning itself for future air traffic management challenges.

COMSOFT’s AFTN/CIDIN/AMHS message switch solution, AIDA-NG, is the only system on the market which provides a common messaging framework for all types of aeronautical messages such as AFTN/CIDIN, AMHS, OLDI, WMO, XML-based formats (AIXM5.1,FIXM) and fully integrates processing in one single application. The harmonisation of the message exchange architecture allows the whole system to be managed by one single user interface, for the unified handling of any message type work flows.

COMSOFT’s CADAS will provide ANS CR with a modern service for the operation of AFTN-based and/or AMHS-UA-based terminals, complemented by a highly sophisticated ATS end user interface to manage any ATS messages and respective workflows, completely independently from the terminal operation mode. Relevant data is mainly stored on the central servers, increasing security and data reliability. In connection with ANS CRs highly flexible network infrastructure the data volume exchanged with the server is minimised.

AIDA-NG and CADAS are able to manage a practically unlimited number of AFTN and/or AMHS connections and WEB-based subscribers, as there is no limit by design, only of available resources. AIDA-NG provides the highest throughput capabilities, up to a permanent load of 375 messages per second, and, in essence, will not be significantly impacted by the future increase in message length. This is thanks to optimised algorithms incorporated by COMSOFT in their standard X.400 product as part of the continuous perfective maintenance.

Currently 84 per cent of all worldwide AMHS connections are made using COMSOFT’s AIDA-NG, emphasising COMSOFT’s expertise and proficiency in AFTN to AMHS migration. The unified and flexible message handling capabilities of AIDA-NG and CADAS will allow seamless integration into ANS CR ATM environment, for a smooth migration in the shortest time, as requested by ANS CR.