FAA to implement ADS-B nationwide within a decade
A small aviation company is making big strides in getting its technology to become an industry standard. A long-awaited reauthorization from the Federal Aviation Administration adds widespread installation real-time safety technology in 2020.
Comprised of about a dozen employees, less than half of which are full-time, ADS-B Technologies has been working on the technology since it was conceived in the mid-1990s. The most advanced version was perfected in Alaska in the early 2000s.
“We like to say that it represents the next generation in air traffic control surveillance technology,” said ADS-B Technologies President Skip Nelson. “It is literally the FAA’s mandated replacement for radar by 2020.”
Nelson said many inputs have been made all over the world, but it wasn’t until the Alaska operations took over — with a special emphasis to increase efficiency and decrease accidents in rural areas — that the final design could be perfected.
“During just one two-year period, Alaska went from being the most dangerous place to fly in North America to one of the safest,” Nelson said.
The Anchorage Economic Development Corp., which has been involved with ADS-B Technologies, said the deployment has led to a 43 percent reduction in Alaska aviation accidents.
ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, goes beyond existing radar technology by using the conventional Global Navigation Satellite System constellation to send positions to the aircraft while simultaneously and continuously sending information like call sign, craft type and flight status and to any ground station or other aircraft equipped to receive it. The system is always on and requires no operator intervention.
“ADS-B is perhaps 1/20th as expensive as radar to both build and maintain and several times more accurate and reliable,” Nelson said.
There are now more than a dozen ADS-B ground stations across the Southwest, Norton Sound, Southeast and Southcentral areas of Alaska. The FAA plans to install more than 40 ground stations across the state, from the Aleutians to the North Slope.
Nelson said a $1.7 billion contract was awarded in 2008 to install more than 700 stations throughout the national airspace system over the next several years.
ADS-B Technologies has now developed the next generation in the system to increase this efficiency the remote areas using NextGen Space-Based technology. The ADS-B Link Augmentation System uses the Louisiana-based Globalstar Inc.’s satellite system to track and control aircraft in real time. ALAS allows precision tracking in virtually any terrain in any location. Globalstar’s third satellite launch for this was in December, bringing it three-quarters of the way to the 24-satellite goal.
ADS-B’s next phase is to compete for a national contract to get the infrastructure ready for a 2020 implementation.
A recent FAA announcement to use ADS-B technology with Over-the-Horizon technology, which is the same as Space-Based, could mean an almost $1 billion investment in Alaska, according to AEDC. Nelson sees this as an advancement in state industry breadth. He said the right investments could turn Anchorage into a “little Phoenix” in terms of high-technology industry.
Aside from AEDC’s help, two members of Alaska’s delegation have thrown considerable support behind the technology, as has the World Trade Center Alaska, Nelson said. Congressman Don Young is an ardent supporter of ADS-B technology and has fought for it over the years during multiple rounds of appropriations. He said he’s especially proud that the technology was developed and honed in Alaska.
“The fact of the matter is that ADS-B technology has improved aviation safety across the world and shows what kind of impact technology can have on saving people’s lives,” he said.
Sen. Mark Begich is also a staunch supporter.
“ADS-B Technologies is at the forefront of efforts to modernize aviation and air traffic control around the world. They are a true testament to the ability of high-tech to thrive in Alaska,” Begich said. “Congress just passed a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill, which will accelerate the transition from outdated ground-based radar to a more accurate satellite tracking system. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is at the heart of this effort and was first proven in Alaska as part of the Capstone program. I’m glad leaders in this technology are based in Alaska, where this important program started.”
Jonathan Grass can be reached at jonathan.grass@alaskajournal.com.
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