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International Civil Aviation Organization
WORKING PAPER / ACP-WG-F31/WP-20

AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATIONS PANEL (ACP)

31st MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP F (WG F)

Seattle, Washington 6th – 10th October 2014

Agenda Item 8: Development of potential updates to ICAO WRC-15 Position

Update of ICAO Position for WRC-15 to include information onglobal tracking and surveillance and planned use of Satellite ADS-B

(Presented by John Taylor)

SUMMARY
This working paper discusses the benefits of global aircraft tracking and surveillancevia satellite and availability of aircraft position data to ANSP’s that will support various efficienciesbeing requested by airlines.
ACTION
WG-F is invited to consider the benefitsof global tracking and surveillance. That the regulatory allocation matter for ADS-B via satellite should be included in the ICAO WRC-15 Position to highlight the satellite reception of existing aircraft ADS-B signals in the Earth-to-space direction only.

1.INTRODUCTION

1.1The unfortunate recent events that have resulted in the loss of commercial aircraft in remote oceanic areas, had brought a focus on the need for global aircraft surveillance and tracking. ICAO convened a multi-disciplinary meeting in May on global tracking and surveillance, for experts to agree on recommendations and a plan of action. In the meantime subsequent to this meeting, and add-hoc working group is working on a draft aircraft tracking concept of operations document. A final version will be available mid next year.

1.2Since the introduction of the FANS 1A concept by ICAO, the aviation industry has seen increasing implementation of satellite terminal equipment on aircraft that have FANS 1A compliant avionics packages. The FANS concept supports ADS-C and CPDLC, these satellite communication services are available on both Inmarsat and Iridium constellations. A non-ICAO standardised ADS-C service is also available on the Globalstar satellite network. Airline operators decide their needs and requirements based on their individual aircraft routes and operations in remote oceanic regions. ADS-C can support periodic reporting of aircraft position, location and other parameters by request from air traffic management.

1.3ICAO has also developed and standardized ADS-B, a system that supports both ground-based and airborne surveillance applications. In airborne applications, aircraft equipped with ADS-B receivers can also process messages from other aircraft to determine the location of surrounding traffic, the data is used by air traffic management as a primary means of aircraft separation. However in oceanic, Polar and remote regions the installation of ground based facilities is often not feasible or practical, therefore ADS-B position data from aircraft operating in these regions is unavailable to air traffic management.

1.4Presently a space-based system is under development using ADS-B receivers on a LEO satellite constellation that will provide global coverage and overcome the aforementioned limitations of terrestrial ADS-B receiver ground stations. The objective is to have ADS-B receivers on each satellite. The satellite network receivers would have the capability of providing ADS-B position, velocity data and message integrity from aircraft in near real time, for air traffic management processing and display.

1.5Satellitecommunications supporting ADS-C and ADS-B has the potential to revolutionise aircraft tracking and surveillance coverage in oceanic, Polar and remote regions globally.These complimentary technologies can provide aircraft tracking and surveillance as foreseen by the ICAO add-hoc working group tasked toproduce a draft aircraft tracking concept of operations document.

2.discussion

2.1As the industry experiences increasing implementation of FANS 1A compliant aircraft, this in itself has increased the deployment of satellite terminal equipment on these aircraft for ADS-C and CPDLC capability. There are limitations on aircraft equipage as a result of non-compliant FANS 1A avionics packages and also aircraft size. (eg; smaller airframe categories) There are no spectrum regulatory issues needing to be addressed regarding ADS-C or CPDLC, the communications are achieved using spectrum allocatedin the Mobile Satellite Service 1.5/1.6 GHz bands.

2.2The ICAO standardized extension of SSR transponder functionality to include Mode S, and Mode S Extended Squitter, is the basis for provision of ADS-B. Any aircraft that can be equipped with a transponder can have ADS-B. Accordingly, many commercial transport aircraft operating in international civil airspace are ADS-B equipped. In addition, many States are mandating the requirement for the use of ADS-B in their domestic airspace. The operation of ADS-B is authorised in the same SSR frequency band 1 030 – 1 090 MHz on a global basis. However, since the satellite reception of the ADS-B signals from aircraft to the satellite has not been done before, a regulatory matter needs to be addressed to formally authorise the uplink of the safety service. It is thought the most appropriate allocation designation would be an Aeronautical Mobile Satellite (Route) Service allocation (AMS(R)S).

2.3ITU WP 5B is developing a new ITU-R Report [ADS-B] on the growing deployment of ADS-B surveillance in the 1089 – 1091 MHz band while also introducing the satellite reception of existing aircraft ADS-B signals that would provide global surveillance coverage of all oceanic, Polar and remote regions.

2.4At the recent 38th ICAO Assembly, the Commission also noted that the matter of a potential allocation to receive ADS-B by satellite had recently been brought to the attention to the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the Air Navigation Commissions’ Aeronautical Communications Panel – Working Group F (Frequency), which is the relevant group of experts within the framework of ICAO. In terms of the ICAO Position, which had been approved by Council following a formal review by Contracting States and relevant International Organizations, it was foreseen that an update might be needed to reflect the outcome of ongoing WRC-15 preparatory studies. Such an update would include consideration of the ADS-B issue, as appropriate.

3.0ACTION BY THE MEETING

The meeting is invited to note the tracking and surveillance benefits viasatellite for ADS-C and ADS-B and the potential for improved efficiencies in air traffic management, flight planning, safety, and reduced operating costs to the airlines.

Further, the meeting is invited to consider ongoing development of ITU-R Report [ADS-B] in WP 5B. TheITU- R Report will be an important reference document relative to satellite ADS-B.

That the attached information should be includedin the ICAO Positionfor the benefit of

raising awareness on the regulatory action needed for the Earth-to-space receive only uplink of existing aircraft ADS-B signals that will provide global surveillance coverage.

ANNEX

Information on satellite tracking and surveillance under WRC-15

Agenda Item 9.1 or WRC-AI 1.19

Recent global events involving the loss of commercial transport aircraft, where the exact position and location of the aircraft was not definitively known, prompted a reaction of the aviation industry to analyse what could be done to provide global tracking and surveillance of aircraft at all times.

ICAO convened a multi-disciplinary meeting on global tracking in May 2014 with participation from States, industry, chairs and co-chairs of several ANC Panels and related specialists to reach a common agreement on the first steps in making global tracking a priority.

Currently a very high percentage of the Earth’s surface is not covered by conventional radar, therefore to have global tracking and surveillance of aircraft in remote oceanic and Polar regions requires satellite communications, and the availability of the aircraft position information to air traffic management and or the aircraft operator. Availability of timely aircraft position and location information is a key enabler for the appropriate reaction to an aircraft in distress, such as invoking emergency response orsearch and rescue activity.

ICAO over many years has developed a combination of SARP’s and guidance material that has assisted the use of technologies in the aviation industry, accordingly satellite communication technologies have seen growingimplementation in recent years. One technology using on-board aircraft satellite terminal equipment can be used for periodic reporting of aircraft position and other information to air traffic management. The ADS-C technology has seen increased equipage on FANS 1A compliant commercial aircraft, however the ADS-C technology is not suitable for installation on all aircraft sizes, or aircraft withavionics packages that are not FANS 1A compliant. There are no spectrum regulatory issues to be addressed for the provision of ADS-C.

ICAO has also developed ADS-B that is a standardised technologysupporting both ground-based and airborne aircraft surveillance applications, ADS-B equipage is on-board many commercial transport aircraft. In airborne applications, aircraft ADS-B receivers can also process the messages from other aircraft to determine the location of surrounding traffic. However in oceanic, Polar and remote regions the installation of ground based receiver facilities is not feasible or practical, satellite communications would also be required to provide aircraft ADS-B data to air traffic management.

Presently a space-based ADS-B satellite system is under development that will provide global coverage and overcome the aforementioned limitations of terrestrial ADS-B ground stations. The objective is to have ADS-B receivers on each satellite. The satellite network would receive existing ADS-B aircraftsignals which are autonomously broadcast twice per second containingposition, velocity data and message integrity. This data can be providedin near real timeto air traffic management.Initial launch of the satellite constellation will begin in mid 2015, with operational capability in 2017. Satellite ADS-B is foreseen as a complimentary surveillance and tracking technology to ADS-C, the aviation industry can benefit from using satellite communications to have global surveillance and tracking.

Satellite ADS-B surveillance is included in the ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) and this is also within the 2013-2018 implementation horizon for the ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBU’s) for Block 0 and planning horizon for Block 1. Satellite reception of ADS-B signals is being considered mainly to support en-route applications. Itis noted that many of the ASBU Module upgrades would provide even greater benefits if they are implemented in an airspace environment where global en-route aircraft surveillance is available in near real time to air traffic management.

The standard terrestrial secondary surveillance radar (SSR) operates in the aeronautical 1 030 – 1 090 MHz band, the ground station interrogations are at 1 030 MHz, the aircraft replies are at 1 090 MHz. Aircraft ADS-B transmissions are at 1 090 MHz only, the airborne system operates autonomously without any requirement for ground station interrogations. The air to air and air to ground ADS-B transmissions operate under a global allocation to the Aeronautical Mobile Route Service (AMRS) and have been in use for many years, theyare compliant with ICAO Standards and are compatible with other aeronautical and non civil systems.

At the last WRC-12, it was not foreseen that satellite reception of aircraft ADS-B signals would require regulatory action by a WRC to formalise an allocation for the aircraft to the satellite uplink. Passive reception of the aircraft ADS-B signals by satellite will require regulatory action by WRC-15 to consider an AMS(R)S allocation in the 1089 – 1091 MHz band for theaircraft to satellite receive only uplink of existing ADS-B transmissions.

ICAO Position:

Support a new provision or modifications to existing provisions foran AMS(R)S allocation in the Earth-to-space direction in the band 1 089 – 1 091 MHz for the satellite reception of existing aircraft ADS-B signals operating in accordance with recognised international aeronautical standards.