PHOENIX, 17 April 2014. ACSS, an L-3 Communications & Thales Company in Phoenix, has certified its DO-260B (ADS-B Out compliant) Mode S transponders for airlines ahead of the ADS-B Out mandates. The company’s DO-260B Mode S transponders are installed on hundreds of aircraft, including commercial airplanes operated by JetBlue, U.S. Airways (American), and UPS. The company has also infused SafeRoute ADS-B In capabilities on a lot of those aircraft, a company official explains.
ACSS engineers are also now in the process of certifying a new line of ADS-B Out/DO-260B transponders, including the NXT-800 (the same size as the XS-950) and NXT-600 (a smaller unit), which has already been selected as standard for the Bombardier Q400.
Bombardier Aerospace and Thales Canada, Aerospace selected the new NXT-600 Mode S Transponder for integration into Thales’ avionics suite installed on the Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft. The NXT-600 from ACSS is a small, lightweight transponder ideal for regional and business aircraft, including helicopters. The NXT-600 is DO-260B- and DO-181E-compliant to meet CASA’s 2014 mandate, EUROCONTROL’s 2015 mandate and the 2020 FAA NextGen Air Transportation System mandate for ADS-B Out capability. The NXT-600 complements other cockpit surveillance equipment on the Q400 NextGen, including the ACSS TCAS 3000SP Surveillance Processor.
“Bombardier Aerospace and Thales Canada, Aerospace have been strong supporters of ACSS and our industry-leading surveillance products,” says Terry Flaishans, president of ACSS. “Technical expertise and customer focus were cited as key reasons for selecting our new NXT-600 transponder.”
As the cornerstone technology of the FAA’s NextGen and EUROCONTROL’s SESAR airspace initiatives, ADS-B increases capacity and throughput for air transportation, providing more precise position information of own-ship and other airplane traffic to the cockpit.
Optimized for flight in the next-generation air traffic environment, the NXT-600 and NXT-800 (4 MCU) transponders transmit own-ship flight parameters to other aircraft and air traffic control (ATC). The higher level of ADS-B Out (DO-260B) transmission provides more precise flight data, including position, speed and intent of the aircraft. Benefits of ADS-B Out include reduced flight times, reduced fuel consumption, increased airspace capacity and higher-quality air traffic surveillance, resulting in improved air safety.
Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), 70 percent owned by L-3 Communications and 30 percent owned by Thales, is a division of L-3 Aviation Products (L-3 AP). L-3 AP is a provider of commercial and military avionics. L-3 AP manufactures a diverse line of safety- and efficiency-enhancing products, including configurable voice and data recorders, collision avoidance systems, navigation products, display systems, and processors. L-3 AP also offers aftermarket services, including MRO and integrated performance-based logistics for military and commercial systems.
For more, visit http://www.acss.com/ and www.L-3com.com/aviationproducts.
