Description :
ExpectedOutcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes.
- Capacity. Project results are expected to contribute to capacity by enhancing the management of separation minima, both for en-route airspace and the TMA, and the provision of meteorological information. At airport level, the solutions will enhance the calculation of arrival runway occupancy times and the resilience of runway throughput to meteorological disruptions, enhance departure queue management, improve visual separation procedures for the aerodrome circuit and support fully automated airport operations through improved predictability.
- Cost-efficiency. Project results are expected to demonstrate that, with new services supported by ground–ground and air–ground connectivity, cost-efficiency is expected to be improved.
- Operational efficiency. Project results are expected to contribute to the improvement of the operational efficiency thanks to advanced communication means and increased automation (e.g. machine-to-machine communication). In addition, trajectory management is expected to improve.
- Safety. Project results are expected to maintain at least the same level of safety as the current ATM system.
- Security. Project results are expected to maintain at least the same level of security as the current ATM system.
Scope:
The SESAR 3 JU has identified the following innovative research elements that could be used to achieve the expected outcomes. The list is not intended to be prescriptive; proposals for work on areas other than those listed below are welcome, provided they include adequate background and justification to ensure clear traceability with the R&I needs set out in the SRIA for the air–ground integration and autonomy flagship.
- Frequency management. This research will investigate, from a gate-to-gate perspective, the automation of air–ground coordination to ensure the use of automatic link and frequency selection for communications by the pilot and ATC. This is expected also to support single-pilot and cross-border operations (R&I need: enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance).
- Seamless connectivity between ground and aircraft via high-capacity networks. This element covers seamless connectivity between ground and aircraft through the use of high-capacity networks (e.g. novel use of public infrastructure such as 5G for aviation purposes) to transmit ATS communications, virtual guidance, warnings and stop bars to aircraft on the airport surface (R&I need: enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance).
- Machine-to-machine communication. In addition to human-to-human communication, such as controller–pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), datalink will also support machine-to-machine communication. Technical and operational requirements, as well as use cases and initial validation, will be addressed in this research (R&I need: integrated 4D trajectory automation in support of TBOs).
- Advanced air–ground integration for general aviation. This activity will ensure that access to all airspace classes remains open to general aviation in an equitable manner and at an affordable cost. as well as the leverage on-board technologies (potentially not certified) in order to guarantee better and safer flights for all general aviation users, including sports aviation. It may also include the development of a concept enabling VFR aircraft to share their intended plans in real time with ATC and/or U-space service providers through a low-cost non-certified EPP-like concept based on whatever application the general aviation pilot is using to plan his flight in real time. This solution would complement surveillance information and would result in a continually updated flight plan, which could be used to automatically change the destination airport, to ensure that general aviation pilots receive updated information if their plan changes and to support search and rescue operations when no surveillance information is available. VFR pilots would retain at all times the same degree of flexibility in changing the plan as they have today (R&I need: enabling greater ground and airborne integration and wider performance).
