Military

Software Defined Radio: From Revolution to Evolution

At A Glance: We discuss the reorganized Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program, focusing on: The Airborne, Maritime and Fixed site (AMF) program, The Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) program, and New…

ATM Modernization

WAAS Milestone: Cat I Equivalence

The U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) has been approved for instrument approaches down to 200 feet above ground level (AGL), giving it equivalence to Cat I ILS. In March, FAA's GPS…

ATM Modernization

See and Avoid in IMC

At A Glance: We discuss several NASA technologies that could help to enable "see and avoid" under IFR conditions: -- Autonomous flight rules; -- Cockpit display of traffic     information with conflict…

ATM Modernization

UAVs in Europe: When Will They File and Fly?

At A Glance: Europe, in collaboration with the U.S., is forging a path toward integration of UAVs into civil airspace. We discuss: -- Sense-and-avoid issues, -- Regulatory challenges, and -- UK developments.…

ATM Modernization

Safety: Where’s Redundancy?

Together with recent reports of screens going blank in the cockpit, this story does not inspire lasting or fervent confidence in automation. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) headlines its recent report…

Military

A400M Advances: Taking Off From the A380

Avionics development for Europe's military airlifter is accelerating. While the A400M baselines much Airbus A380 technology, it adds new flight and mission systems. At A Glance: While the A400M will reuse systems…

ATM Modernization

Editor's Note: ADS-B and the Road Ahead

The wheels move slowly in the air traffic control (ATC) world: the current radar-based surveillance infrastructure used in the National Airspace System (NAS) has been in place for some 50 years. That's…