Austro Control selects Sensis Wide Area Multilateration for Austria’s Nationwide Surveillance Network

Austro Control GmbH, the Air Navigation Service Provider for Austria, has selected Sensis Corporation to deploy a Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) system across the country. Sensis WAM will provide highly accurate surveillance of Austria’s airspace to Austro Control air traffic controllers, enhancing safety of flights by providing coverage of areas previously not covered by radar. The WAM system will also meet future European mandates by supporting Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) and providing data validation of ADS-B.

The Sensis WAM system will provide terminal and en route surveillance of the entire country, including Austria’s mountainous regions, encompassing more than 32,000 square miles. The system will provide surveillance of Mode S, Mode S Extended Squitter and Mode A/C equipped aircraft and ADS-B. Austro Control will use the WAM system to complement their existing Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) infrastructure while adding surveillance of areas not previously covered by SSR due to the terrain.

“Sensis WAM provides Austro Control with a technical solution that meets our strict evaluation criteria for system design, performance, delivery and price,” said Eduard Helbig, Head of Austro Control Engineering Services.

Sensis multilateration uses multiple low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors to triangulate aircraft locations based on transponder signals to provide air traffic controllers with precise aircraft position and identification information regardless of weather conditions. With a higher update rate and greater positional accuracy than traditional radar, Sensis multilateration provides effective surveillance for increased safety, capacity and efficiency of airspace. By employing advanced processing techniques, a Sensis multilateration system uses the minimal number of sensors for a less complex, lower lifecycle cost solution. Additionally, each multilateration sensor deployed by Sensis supports ADS-B, providing an infrastructure that is ready for today’s surveillance needs and tomorrow’s avionics.

“The Sensis WAM solution for Austro Control is based on years of experience in developing, deploying and commissioning systems around the world that meet stringent requirements in the most challenging operating environments,” said Ken Kaminski, vice president and general manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems. “The Sensis solution meets all current WAM requirements and provides the infrastructure to meet tomorrow’s ADS-B mandates while providing a valuable validation source for ADS-B data.”

Almost 100 sites worldwide have chosen Sensis multilateration to enhance safety, efficiency, capacity and cost savings through airport surface surveillance, wide area surveillance and airport surface management, including the Innsbruck Valley and Vienna International Airport.