Future Flight Services Program powered by CERTIUM VCS from Rohde & Schwarz

Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc. announced that the cutting-edge CERTIUM VCS voice communication system has successfully been deployed as the central component in modernization for the Future Flight Services Program (FFSP). The milestone was achieved on October 26, 2023, marking a significant technological advancement for both the Flight Service Program and the general aviation community, as it is the first ED-137C compliant fully IP based VCS operating in the US.

Designed to support over 200 operator seats, CERTIUM VCS plays a vital role in providing communication services for briefing the general aviation community. Its coverage extends across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii, ensuring comprehensive support for flight services. The system is physically deployed at two flight services facilities, strategically located in the Mid-Atlantic and Central United States. Notably, the quadruple redundant system offers load sharing capabilities and redundancy, enabling uninterrupted operations during planned maintenance or in the unlikely event of an incident. In such a scenario, any one of the two equipment racks at either of the two sites can sustain the entire US Flight Services Communication operations.

Frank Dunn, President of Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc., expressed his enthusiasm for this significant achievement, stating, "This deployment of the Rohde & Schwarz quadruple redundant VCS in the US marks a major step in the technology modernization for Leidos and General Aviation community."

Marius Münstermann, Vice President for ATC at Rohde & Schwarz added: “Our CERTIUM VCS-4G is fully IP-based and adheres to the latest ED-137C standard. Successfully implementing this future-proof technology underscores the commitment of both Rohde & Schwarz and Leidos to enhance ATC communication infrastructure and support the highest level of safety and efficiency for the aviation industry.”

CERTIUM VCS, which adheres to the latest EUROCAE ED-137C standard, boasts an impressive capacity of over 900 active air to ground channels out of over 1,400 available channels. Additionally, more than 550 dedicated ground to ground circuits have been seamlessly integrated into the system. With a user-friendly interface that maintains consistency with previous versions, CERTIUM VCS has significantly reduced training time, fostering widespread acceptance among the user community.

Caption: CERTIUM VCS has successfully been deployed as the central component in modernization for the Future Flight Services Program (FFSP). (Image: Rohde & Schwarz)