SENSIS CORPORATION AND RAYTHEON AWARDED FAA’S ASDE-X PROGRAM
DEWITT, NY, October 24th, 2000 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded the Airport
Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE-X) Program to Sensis Corporation of DeWitt, New York.
ASDE-X is a traffic management system for the airport surface that will "provide seamless
coverage and aircraft identification (tags) to air traffic controllers." The system uses a
combination of surface movement radar, transponder multilateration and automatic
dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) sensors to display aircraft position
labeled with flight call-signs on air traffic control tower displays. The integration
of these sensors provides data with an accuracy, update rate and reliability
suitable for improving airport safety and efficiency in all weather conditions.
Sensis Corporation and its teammate, Raytheon Company, will provide an initial ASDE-X operational
site at the Orlando International Airport. The FAA has identified 25 additional airports to receive
the ASDE-X system during the production phase of the program.
The ASDE-X system integrates five enabling technologies: transponder multilateration surveillance,
surface movement radar, ADS-B, multi-sensor data fusion and control tower display equipment. The combination
of these technologies into a turn-key airport surface
management system will deliver superior performance through close coupling of the independent subsystems.
"Sensis is delighted and proud to continue our cooperation with the FAA aimed at improving
airport surface management, and specifically runway safety, in our role as ASDE-X
prime contractor," said Jud Gostin, President and CEO of Sensis. "This contract
signifies the FAA's adoption of transponder multilateration and ADS-B as useful
enhancements to traditional surface movement radar. We are confident that the
ASDE-X system will make an important contribution to the safety and convenience of air travel."
A transponder multilateration system interacts with an aircraft's transponder to determine
the aircraft position and identification. Its small, rugged, highly-reliable sensors are
strategically placed to eliminate blind spots and coverage gaps, thereby ensuring
coverage of the entire airport surface. Surface movement radar uses traditional
radar principles to search for and track an aircraft non-cooperatively by measuring
reflected energy. The fusion of the transponder multilateration and surface movement
radar data will improve surface surveillance by providing air traffic controllers with
accurate position and identification information for aircraft throughout the entire
airport surface in all weather conditions.
The Sensis multilateration system identifies and tracks Mode S, Mode A/C and ADS-B transponders.
It is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), field-tested product that is installed or under contract to
be installed at airports throughout the world. The list includes: Dallas Fort Worth Airport for the
FAA's Runway Incursion Reduction Program; Memphis Airport for the FAA's Safe Flight 21
Program; Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Canada for NAV CANADA,
Frankfurt Airport for Flughafen Frankfurt Main AG; and London's Heathrow Airport for National Air Traffic Services Ltd.
The Sensis' Multi-Sensor Data Processor (MSDP) fuses multilateration, surface movement radar, ADS-B
and terminal radar data to provide the best estimate of each aircraft's position based on the data available
from all sensors. The Sensis MSDP has evolved over a decade of product development, operational use
and field trials. Its open architecture design provides a platform for future system enhancements, such
as the integration of new/additional sensors, safety logic and cockpit data link via Traffic Information Service - Broadcast (TIS-B).
Raytheon Company's solid-state surface movement radar is the next generation of a field proven, operational X-Band radar.
With FAA trials at Milwaukee's General Mitchell Airport, installations in India and a current site at Boston's Logan Airport,
the radar meets stringent reliability and all-weather requirements. The Raytheon Tower Display is a COTS display processor
with a NATCA tested high-bright 20" flat panel screen.
Sensis and Raytheon share a decade of successful teaming on air traffic management and air defense projects. Together,
the two companies provide a comprehensive suite of field-proven surveillance and air traffic management products and
a strong commitment to improving the safety, capacity and efficiency of air travel.
