FREQUENTIS signs subcontract with Thales for the VCS and Airfield Management System segment of the OneSKY program

Under the OneSKY program for Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence, Thales has subcontracted Frequentis for the supply of its end-to-end Internet Protocol (IP) Voice Communications System (VCS) and Airfield Management systems (AFM).  Frequentis’ critical contribution to the success of OneSKY was formally recognised by Airservices and Thales during a dedicated ceremony on 7 March during the World ATM Congress in Madrid, marking another important milestone in the progress of this transformational program to establish a single harmonised Civil-Military Air Traffic Management System (CMATS) that will serve Australia for decades to come.

Under the OneSKY program, the Airservices’ Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS) and the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Australian Defence Air Traffic System (ADATS), will be replaced with a single integrated system to enable safety and capability improvements in conjunction with economic savings and reliability.

CMATS will be used by Airservices and the RAAF, unifying all of the separate air traffic management systems currently in use and replacing dated systems nearing their end of service. Shared situational awareness and a single flight information region (FIR) across Australia will enable full utilisation of a flexible airspace regime with flight information able to be obtained by any controller at any time.

”We are honored to have been selected for this ground-breaking project within the Air Traffic Management community, helping Australia to streamline air traffic services. Frequentis is dedicated to supporting customers worldwide with innovative projects to support their demands. This subcontract creates 15 highly qualified engineering jobs in Australia, with 10 of them already staffed as part of the 30 highly skilled team at Frequentis Australasia, located in Melbourne and Brisbane. Frequentis will also transfer intellectual property and technology know-how to continue to enhance this core competence in Australia.  This will enable future regional export opportunities to be delivered from Australia.”, says Martin Rampl, Managing Director at Frequentis Australasia. 

With Frequentis signing the subcontract with Thales for the delivery of VCS and AFM for the integrated OneSKY solution, this nationally strategic program to unify Australia’s air traffic management has taken another significant step forward. Frequentis is already delivering the latest generation end-to-end IP–based voice communication systems to the Airservices Australia sites in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth – with a total of 280 working positions under CMATS Phase 1 (Early VCS contract with Thales). This recently signed subcontract includes upgrades to the Airservices Australia sites and the implementation of VCS and AFM at 12 Defence locations across Australia. This includes the latest generation of Secure (Red/Black) voice communication systems and the Frequentis smartTools product suite.

“We are very pleased that Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence rely on the partnership between Thales and Frequentis to provide Australia with a futureproof and advanced air traffic management system, which will reduce delays for the travelling public and reduce environmental impact”, said Lawrence Brown, OneSKY Program Director at Thales Australia.

The latest contract signing is a great milestone, marking the next official step in the program.

Pictured left to right: Peter Skiczuk, Frequentis Vice President Defence; Herman Mattanovich, Member of the Frequentis Executive Board; Martin Rampl, Managing Director, Frequentis Australasia; Jason Harfield, CEO Air Services Australia; Hannu Juurakko, Frequentis Vice President ATM; Jean Marc Alias, Thales Vice President ATM