Thales

The Museum of Air Traffic Control
Some portions of this document are Copyright © 2007 Thales ATM

Thales—formerly “Thomson-CSF”—is  a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defense, aerospace and security markets worldwide, supported by a comprehensive services offering. The group's civil and military businesses continue to develop in parallel to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations.

Leveraging a global network of more than 20,000 high-level researchers, Thales offers a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy critical information systems. Thales employs 70,000 people in 50 countries and generates annual revenues of more than EUR13bn (US$17 billion)

Thales Air Traffic Management

Thales is a world leader in Air Traffic Management systems and provides the full range of CNS/ATM (Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) solutions from design, integration, installation to maintenance and training services. Thales brings increased capacity through its leading-edge technology and integrated solutions to always better serve the civil and military aviation and airport authorities in more than 150 countries.

Thales’ air traffic management offerings are grouped into four comprehensive areas:

Voice Communications

Thales’ TXM5500 is a new generation system based on the proven TXM4400 and ACECOM products which have hundreds of positions in operation worldwide. TXM5500 offers:

• Safety and security of voice communications
• Networking and resource sharing
• High scalability / Easy to upgrade
• Convergence of voice and data communications infrastructures
• Availability and survivability

Although TXM5500 offers improvements such as scalable plug-in modules which allow for adding new positions with a minimum of fuss, to an air traffic controller, the true beauty of this system lies in its networking capabilities. Using TXM5500, control positions in facilities on the network, whether they be tower, approach controls, or centers, can be integrated into a single virtual system providing access to any radio and telephone resource from any operator position. In other words, with the push of a button a controller in one facility can control the radios and telephone lines at any position in another facility. Thus, TXM5500 provides redundancy which needs to exist in every air traffic control facility in the world.

Navigation

The range of Thales’ approach and landing aids and en-route navigation offerings includes systems such as Instrument Landing System (ILS), Microwave Landing System (MLS), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Tactical Air Navigation Aids (TACAN), Non-Directional Radio Beacon (NDB) and VHF Omni-directional Radio Range (VOR, Doppler-VOR).

Additionally, one major area of Thales’ satellite navigation activities (SATNAV) is the ground based infrastructure for civil aviation applications using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). For Ground-Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) the product range encompasses Differential GNSS Reference (DGRS) and GNSS Monitor Stations (GMS).

What’s more, Thales is a pioneer in the emerging Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, the new precision navigation and aircraft monitoring concept.

Standouts among Thales’ navigation offerings include perhaps the most advanced Cat III ILS on the market and a solar-powered VORTAC—a navaid which finally offers totally autonomous operation.

Surveillance

Although there can be no denying that Thales has had a long and proven track record in surveillance technologies from en-route to airport surface radar, a real bright spot in the company’s work has been its ADS (Automatic Dependence Surveillance) systems. In May 2006, Thales delivered significant software enhancements incorporating fully integrated Automatic Dependant Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) processing functionality and display capabilities to The Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS) throughout Australia . Airservices Australia has now completed commissioning of this enhanced version of TAAATS which supports the deployment of ADS-B ground stations across Australia to enhance surveillance throughout non-radar airspace.

In addition to the Bundaberg ground station, 4 new sites across Australia will soon be integrated into the operational system (Longreach, Bourke, Woomera and Esperance). The 23 remaining stations will progressively be integrated in 2007.

ADS-B is an available technology that provides aircraft position, altitude and speed information to air traffic controllers independent of conventional radar systems. ADS-B involves equipping aircraft with an approved broadcast transponder system to broadcast their position, as determined by their on-board Global Positioning System (GPS) avionics. The aircraft position is then relayed via a ground station and the information is displayed on air traffic controllers’ screens.

The airspace controlled by TAAATS covers 56 million square kilometers and controls more than three million air traffic movements per year. While almost full radar coverage exists along the east coast of Australia and the majority of commercial air traffic in Australia is currently under radar coverage, over 90% of Australian airspace is outside radar coverage. The deployment of ADS-B technology is expected to provide extensive coverage in non-radar airspace and enable the provision of secondary radar-like services.

Bachu Murthi, Thales' Managing Director of ATM activities in Australia said “the notable feature is that the Thales enhancements enable data received from different sources such as radars, ADS-B ground stations and satellites (ADS-C), to be displayed to air traffic controllers on a single screen. The system automatically selects the highest level of surveillance available to the controller and provides a full suite of automated alerts and warnings to enhance the safety and security of aircraft.” Mr. Murthi continued, “the key benefit to controllers is that the transition of aircraft between radar and ADS-B coverage is smooth and accurate, as is transition with ADS-C which has been operational in Australia since early 2000”.

Control Centers

Thales’ position in the air traffic control center business is second-to-none. The reason is simple: Thales’ product is second-to-none. Thales is a force to be reckoned-with and has over 260 operational systems to back up that claim.

In May 2006, Thales delivered a complete Eurocat air traffic management system to Vietnam ATM. This acquisition included the full suite of approach, enroute and tower positions, to be used to control all traffic in the Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region. Standard interfaces for primary and secondary radars, ADS/CPDLC oceanic control, meteorological radars, Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Networks, the capability of increased interoperability with adjacent ATM infrastructures using ATS Interfacility Data Communications, Test and Evaluation platform, voice and data record and replay capabilities and an automated billing system were all delivered on-time.

Thales ATM Pty Ltd in Australia is also looking forward to delivering a fully-integrated, nationwide Air Traffic Management System to the Air Navigation and Weather Services of the Civil Aeronautics Administration of Taiwan, ROC. And in an impressive evolution the Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB) of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has successfully transitioned to full operational use of the new Thales supplied NESACC system.

The North East and South Area Control Centre (NESACC) contract was awarded to Thales in September 2001, following an extensive design and planning phase, and consists of latest state-of-the-art integrated Eurocat air traffic management systems in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The Beijing system was fully commissioned in December 2004, the Shanghai system in May 2005 and the Guangzhou system in November this year, all within the ATMB’s schedules.

Thales’ Eurocat air traffic management system is an advanced, field proven system. More than 100 Flight Information Regions throughout Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America are controlled using Thales automation centers.

Mme Lu Xiaoping, Deputy Director General, Air Traffic Management Bureau of China, said "The NESACC project is the biggest infrastructure construction project in the history of air traffic management systems for Civil Aviation in China . To meet the fast growing demand in civil aviation transportation, the CAAC has increased the construction strength of its infrastructure for air traffic management. Since the majority of air traffic in China is situated in the eastern region, CAAC set up these three safe, reliable, modernized and versatile control centers with unified standards, which form the three mainstays supporting the air traffic management system of the eastern region."

The new systems control up to 60 per cent of current air traffic in China , enhancing safety and allowing China to accommodate increasing air traffic demands and to support the nation’s economic development.

Thales will provide ongoing customer service and logistics support to ATMB for the maintenance of the NESACC system, mainly from its facilities in Melbourne, Australia .

In addition to completing the NESACC program, Thales has recently been awarded several contracts for navigation aids systems and radars throughout China .

Thales’ Eurocat system overview

http://www.thalesatm.com/produits/documents/Eurocat.pdf

Contact Thales here:

http://www.thalesatm.com/home.htm

Thales ATM S.A.
19, rue de la Fontaine
92221 Bagneux Cedex
France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 40 84 30 00
Fax: +33 (0)1 40 84 15 00
contact : christian.piton@thalesatm.com   

Thales ATM Ltd.
Compass House
Davis Road
Chessington
Surrey
KT9 1TB
United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 (0) 208 391 6100
Fax: +44 (0) 208 391 6196
contact : stewart.annan@thalesatm.com

Thales ATM Inc.
23501 West 84th Street
Shawnee, Kansas 66227
USA
Tel.: +1 913 422 2600
Fax: +1 913 422 2962
contact: celeste.kvetensky@us.thalesatm.com