ERA vehicle tracking system “has conquered” yet another continent. Ever growing number of SQUIDS are in use at Brisbane airport, Australia

ERA delivered its first VTS SQUIDs based on ADS-B (Automatic dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) technology to Brisbane Airport in 2014 and thanks to its performance the number of units continues to grow. Recently the airport has ordered another batch of ERA squitter beacons.

The airport authority evaluated all the market vehicle tracking products, focusing mainly on reliability and transmitting capabilities and selected SQUID system as the best performing vehicle location technology. SQUID was the first transponder approved for use in Australia by Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

A key feature of ERA SQB is its seamless compatibility with all current multilateration or ADS-B technologies, including systems from other manufacturers. SQUID can thus be easily included as one of the elements of existing A-SMGCS airport systems.

„Currently there are pushbacks, long haul tugs, engineers’ vehicles and plenty of other airside operations mobiles fitted with ERA SQUIDs working at Brisbane Airport. They provide the airport ATM controllers with a reliable tool for superior coverage and more precise vehicle identification for almost a decade,” stated Geoffrey Moesker of OzGSE company, Brisbane.

Apart from Brisbane Airport SQUIDs have been operating also at other airports in Australia’s main cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. They are used by OzGSE´s customers including QANTAS, Virgin, Brisbane AirPort Corporation, Alliance, Menzies, Swissport and many others. Number of SQUIDs in Australia is near to 200 units.

The ERA-designed SQUID, self-contained vehicle tracking unit, improves airport safety by continuously broadcasting the exact position of all ground vehicles, including tugs, follow-me cars and fire and rescue vehicles. By using permanently mounted or portable ADS-B squitter beacon transmitters, SQUID minimizes the risk of vehicle collisions, especially during low visibility conditions.

The largest user of the system is the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to date 530 SQB beacons have been delivered there. Other important users include Oslo (452 units), Berlin (422 units), Copenhagen (335 units), and outside Europe Montreal (415 units), Kuala Lumpur (200 units), Jakarta (213) and Johannesburg (178 units). Hundreds more are at airports in Turkey, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, etc., in a total of 71 airports in 43 countries.

The overall number of SQUDs produced and sold worldwide is currently over 10 thousand pieces.