Rockwell Collins introduces ARINC MultiLinkSM flight tracking service

• Service merges six different data sources to provide a comprehensive flight tracking solution for airlines
• Use of HFDL network performance data provides cost-effective aircraft location information virtually everywhere around the globe

Rockwell Collins today unveiled its ARINC MultiLink^SM flight tracking service, offering a comprehensive and cost-effective global flight tracking solution for the world’s airlines. 

ARINC MultiLink brings together multiple data sources to reliably report the location of an aircraft anywhere in the world. These sources include (1) ADS-C; (2) high-frequency data link (HFDL) performance data; (3) ADS-B; (4) U.S. Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) radar data; (5) EUROCONTROL position information; and (6) Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) position reports.  Additionally, ARINC MultiLink has been developed with the ability to incorporate future third-party data sources which may include position data.

Rockwell Collins uses a proprietary algorithm to merge the data sources to provide more accurate and higher fidelity position reporting.  In addition, the use of multiple sources means an aircraft’s position can be reported more frequently. The service can also notify airlines when an aircraft unexpectedly has stopped reporting positional data or when the aircraft has deviated from its expected path. 

“In today’s global aviation environment, no single source of data is sufficient to track aircraft globally,” said Jeff Standerski, senior vice president, Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins. “By merging multiple data sources, many of which airlines already receive, we can automatically select the right combination of data feeds to allow airlines to pinpoint an aircraft’s location anywhere in the world, in the most economical way.”

A key and differentiating element of ARINC MultiLink is its ability to incorporate HFDL network performance data, made possible by Rockwell Collins’ industry standard global air/ground data link network. Aircraft equipped with HFDL automatically deliver network performance data directly to Rockwell Collins. This data can be used in conjunction with other data sources to provide highly accurate and cost-effective aircraft tracking everywhere around the globe.

“Using the unique propagation characteristics of HFDL enables ARINC MultiLink to communicate with properly equipped aircraft operating in remote regions and over the oceans,” Tim Ryan, director, GLOBALink programs & services management.  “Our ability to merge HFDL network performance data with multiple data sources results in a more robust and truly global aircraft tracking capability.”

ARINC MultiLink can be customized to meet an airline’s unique needs while still aligning with industry recommendations. Rockwell Collins will work with carriers to help selectively augment the fidelity and reliability of their standard data feed as needed to generate additional data for a selected aircraft or geographic region. 

ARINC MultiLink will be offered as an add-on to Rockwell Collins’ ARINC OpCenter/WebASD^SM or Hermes/Skyview™ products, which are currently used by 125 airlines around the world, or as a data feed that can be streamed to a carrier’s own situational display solution.

Rockwell Collins’ ARINC MultiLink flight tracking solution will be available this spring.

For more than 20 years Rockwell Collins has been a leader in collecting, harmonizing and delivering aircraft tracking information for the world’s airlines. The company’s first situational display capability was launched in 1995 and its Automatic Dependent Surveillance air traffic control gateway was first deployed in the late 1990s.