ILA 2014: Rohde & Schwarz presents its portfolio for safer airborne radiocommunications

Rohde & Schwarz will demonstrate its innovative approach to interference free, safe air traffic at the 2014 Berlin air show (ILA). The company will showcase a new development for its VHF/UHF radios, which, for the first time, enables air traffic controllers to detect simultaneous transmissions. The R&S MR6000A will also be on display – the world's only military airborne radio of its kind that meets civil aviation certification requirements.    
   
Munich, April 16, 2014 — Air traffic density has risen significantly in the last 20 years. Greater demands on airspace capacity mean increased safety risks such as undetected simultaneous transmissions (USiT). When two pilots communicate with the same air traffic controller, there is a danger that the weaker signal will go undetected. Rohde & Schwarz has found an answer to this problem. The receiver-based digital signal processing of the R&S Series4200 VHF/UHF radios now makes it possible to detect multiple parallel radio transmissions. Air traffic controllers are alerted to such occurrences by a signal sent to their voice communications system. Rohde & Schwarz is the first supplier to offer detection of simultaneous transmissions (DSiT) in its air traffic control radios, which is why the company has applied to patent its algorithm. Thanks to this functionality, the radios meet European aviation authorities' requirements such as the EUROCAE standard ED 136.    
   
The R&S MR6000A from the successful VHF/UHF R&S M3AR airborne transceiver family is the first radio of its kind in the world that ensures compatibility with military and civilian avionics specifications. As part of the A400M program, Rohde & Schwarz successfully subjected the R&S MR6000A to development processes in line with civil avionics standards for software and hardware. As a result, the radio fulfills civil certification requirements for level C failure classification. Level C design assurance minimizes the most serious interference that a radio can cause – loss of communications with air traffic control. Military aircraft can only operate freely around the world if they satisfy both military and civil specifications.    
   
The R&S M3AR family of transceivers for airborne communications has already proven successful in a broad range of applications. Over 6500 of these software defined radios from Rohde & Schwarz have already been sold for airborne platforms including the A400M and KC-390 transport aircraft, the Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon and F-16 fighter jets, and the NH90, Tiger, EC725 and Sikorsky CH 53 GA helicopters.   
   
The radios can be equipped with a NATO-compatible data and voice encryption option produced by subsidiary Rohde & Schwarz SIT. The integrated radio/crypto solution in a single box saves valuable space, weight, wiring and logistical effort. In addition to integrated encryption components, Rohde & Schwarz SIT offers the separate ELCRODAT 4-2 (NATO) and R&S MMC3000 (non-NATO) crypto solutions, which can be installed on various military platforms owing to their ruggedization. The R&S SITLine ETH series is available for encrypting Ethernet data transmitted via fixed network, radio or satellite. The new R&S SITLine ETH40G high speed solution rounds out the product family. It is the first Ethernet encryption device in the world with 40 Gbit/s data throughput.   
   
Rohde & Schwarz will present its new and its tried and tested solutions for the future of secure communications at ILA 2014. Visit us in hall 2, booth 2213.