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Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast

(ADS-B)
Article Information

Category: Air Ground Communication

Content source: SKYbrary

Content control: EUROCONTROL

Contents
[hide]

1 Definition
2 Description
3 Initial ADS-B Applications
4 Aircraft Equipment
5 Ground Equipment
6 ADS-B Data
7 Surveillance Modernisation
8 Related Articles
9 Further Reading

Definition
Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast

Description
ADS-B is a Surveillance technique that relies on aircraft or airport vehicles broadcasting their
identity, position and other information derived from on board systems (GNSS etc.). This signal (ADS-
B Out) can be captured for surveillance purposes on the ground (ADS-B Out) or on board other
aircraft in order to facilitate airborne traffic situational awareness, spacing, separation and self-
separation (ADS-B In)

ADS-B is automatic because no external stimulus is required; it is dependent because it relies on

on-board systems to provide surveillance information to other parties. Finally, the data is broadcast,
the originating source has no knowledge of who receives the data and there is no interrogation or
two-way contract.

ADS-B is seen as a key enabler of the future ATM Network on both sides of the North Atlantic and
elsewhere and will be vital to the achievement of the Single European Sky (SES) and Next Gen
performance objectives, including safety, capacity, efficiency and environmental sustainability.

The SES vision for ground Surveillance foresees, in en-route and terminal areas, the combination of
ADS-B with independent Surveillance, the latter provided by Monopulse Secondary Surveillance
Radar (MSSR), Mode S or Wide Area Multilateration (WAM). It is noted that WAM system receivers
generally include ADS-B functionality.

Ground-based traffic separation aided by ADS-B depends on aircraft being equipped with ADS-B
Out. Airborne self-separation requires that aircraft be equipped with ADS-B In and a means to
effectively display available traffic information to the pilots.

At airports, a locally-optimised mix of available technologies, i.e. airport Multilateration, Surface

Movement Radars and ADS-B, will enable A-SMGCS systems and integrated airport operations. This
could include the availability of suitable display of surveillance information on a consolidated display
in the form of a moving map in flight decks and in surface vehicles.

The introduction of ADS-B in the Surveillance infrastructure provides important features which can
be exploited by the ATM Network:

Full “Network-wide” Surveillance coverage

Surveillance “everywhere”, i.e. no gaps from gate-to-gate

Air-to-air Surveillance possible, i.e. traffic situational awareness picture available on board
The aircraft is integral part of the Network
Surveillance data provided directly from on-board systems

High performance
Improved safety
Increased capacity
Cost-efficiency

Reduced cost of the Surveillance infrastructure (ADS-B is cheaper than radar)

More efficient flight profiles (in areas where previously surveillance was not cost-effective)
Fuel savings etc.

Environmental sustainability (CO2 reduction)

Reduced RF pollution (leading to an increased viability of the 1090 MHz datalink)
Global Interoperability
Foundation for future ATC applications (spacing, separation, self-separation)
ADS-B is currently being, or already has been, implemented in North America, Europe and other
areas worldwide including the Asia/Pacific region.

Global interoperability is ensured at application level and system level. The standards for ADS-B are
being jointly developed by EUROCAE and RTCA. Relevant ICAO documentation is also produced.

The 1090 MHz Mode S Extended Squitter technology is used worldwide to ensure global
interoperability. At local or regional level, other datalink technologies such as the Universal Access
Transceiver (UAT) system introduced in the USA are compatible.

In Europe, Regulation (EU) No 1207/2011, laying down requirements for the performance and the
interoperability of surveillance for the single European sky (SPI-IR), requires all aircraft operating
IFR/GAT in Europe to be compliant with Mode S Elementary Surveillance, whilst aircraft with
maximum Take-Off Mass greater than 5700kg or maximum cruising True Air Speed greater than
250kts must be compliant with both Mode S Enhanced Surveillance and ADS-B out requirements.
Compliance is mandated by January 2015 for new build and by December 2017 for retrofit, with
special provisions (including exemptions) for State aircraft.

Initial ADS-B Applications

The ADS-B standardisation work is now completed for the initial ADS-B applications, namely all
“ADS-B out” and ATSAW applications. It has delivered the Safety, Performance and Interoperability
Requirements for:

ADS-B in Non Radar Airspace (ADS-B NRA)

ADS-B in Radar Airspace (ADS-B RAD)
ADS-B for Airport Surface Surveillance (ADS-B APT)
ATSAW In-Trail Procedure in oceanic airspace (ATSAW ITP)
ATSAW Visual Separation in Approach (ATSAW VSA)
ATSAW during Flight Operations (ATSAW AIRB)
ATSAW on the Airport Surface (ATSAW SURF)

In addition, the standardisation of the first spacing application has also been completed with the
delivery of the Safety, Performance and Interoperability Requirements for:

Flight Deck Interval Management (ASPA-FIM)

Furthermore, work on the future ADS-B applications (spacing, separation and self-separation) is
ongoing or planned by SESAR (Europe) and NextGen (USA). The standards of future applications will
be developed also by EUROCAE/RTCA joint work.

Aircraft Equipment
The “ADS-B Out” capability on board is enabled by transponders interfaced with the relevant
avionics systems (such as GNSS, pressure altimeters etc.). Many aircraft have ADS-B Extended
Squitter capability already available packaged with the Mode S Enhanced Surveillance installations
already mandated for core-European airspace.

The “ADS-B In” capability requires a receiver, a processing system (traffic computer) and an HMI unit
(often called Cockpit Display of Traffic Information - CDTI). The “ADS-B in” system could be
integrated in the Forward Field of view or be in the form of the so-called Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).

The operational use of ADS-B requires certification and operational approval by the regulatory
authorities.

Ground Equipment
The ADS-B data transmitted by the aircraft or airport vehicles are received by the ADS-B Ground
stations.

In most of the cases, the output of the ADS-B Ground stations will be sent to Surveillance Data
Processing and Distribution systems where they are fused with inputs from other possible
Surveillance sensors (e.g radars, Multilateration) to create a Traffic Situation Picture for the Users.

ADS-B Data
The ADS-B data transmitted are defined in the relevant standards and certification documents (e.g.
EASA AMC 20-24 for ADS-B in Non-Radar Airspace or CS-ACNS for “ADS-B out”). They include
(amongst others) the following:

Aircraft horizontal position (latitude/longitude)

Aircraft barometric altitude (will be the same as for the SSR)
Quality indicators
Aircraft identification:

Unique 24-bit aircraft address

Aircraft identification
Mode A code (in the case of CS ACNS for “ADS-B Out”)

Emergency status
SPI (special position indicator) when selected

Surveillance Modernisation
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) and Multilateration (MLAT) are key enablers
for the modernisation of the surveillance systems – both infrastructure and applications.

In Europe, EUROCONTROL’s support for surveillance modernisation focuses on performance-based

modernisation and rationalisation of the European ATM Network surveillance. It covers both ground
surveillance (such as ADS-B, multilateration and Mode S) as well as airborne surveillance
applications. It supports short-term implementations as well as longer-term SESAR projects.

Surveillance modernisation in Europe progresses as follows:

In non-radar airspace: implementation of ADS-B as sole means or together with multilateration,

using current certified equipment on board thousands of aircraft. ADS-B ground receivers are
currently used but, in the near future, space-based ADS-B receivers may also be used.

In radar airspace: implementation of combined multilateration and ADS-B systems. Multilateration is

used initially, followed by the additional use of ADS-B. For the use of ADS-B, upgraded ADS-B
avionics are required, driven by the Surveillance Performance and Interoperability Regulation (SPI IR)
- EU Regulation No 1207/2011 and its amendment(s).

The European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1207/2011 and its first amendment
1028/2014, is a mandate for Surveillance Performance and Interoperability in the European airspace.

The regulation lays down the mandatory carriage and operation of Mode S Elementary Surveillance
(ELS) for aircraft operating IFR/GAT (Instrument Flight Rules/General Air Traffic). The applicability
dates are set for January 2015 for forward-fitting and December 2017 for retrofitting.

The regulation also mandates the carriage and operation of Mode S Enhanced Surveillance (EHS)
and ADS-B 1090 MHz Extended Squitter for aircraft operating IFR/GAT and with a maximum certified
take-off mass exceeding 5700kg or with a maximum cruising true airspeed capability greater than
250 knots. The applicability dates are set for forward fit by June 2016 and retrofit by June 2020.

Surveillance moves quickly from sole use of radars to multiple types of sensors. Dozens of
multilateration systems and over 750 ADS-B ground stations have been implemented in more than
25 European States. The European States which are involved in the implementation of ADS-B and/or
multilateration include Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, Ukraine. Most of the
implementing States are currently using the multilateration data for operational ATS. In parallel,
some European States have started using ADS-B for operational ATS, namely Iceland, Portugal and
Norway.

Several thousands of aircraft are already certified for ADS-B operations in Non-Radar Airspace.
Furthermore, around 2000 aircraft are observed (in September 2015) to be equipped with upgraded
ADS-B Out avionics, in line with the SPI Implementing Rule. Avionics implementation based on the
SPI Implementing Rule covers both Mode S and ADS-B Extended Squitter. This will make the
airborne installations “future proof”, i.e. supporting all surveillance techniques currently in use or
planned to be used. The ADS-B avionics requirements include transponder upgrade to ADS-B v2
(ED102A/DO260B) and low latency GNSS receiver-transponder wiring.

Regarding Airborne Surveillance (i.e. Surveillance in the cockpit), initial applications (Airborne Traffic
Situation Awareness – ATSAW) have been operational in Europe since February 2012. Since that date,
thousands of operational flights have been carried out. This is based on voluntary implementation.
Airborne surveillance implementation is expected to grow further, driven by the increasing
availability of ADS-B equipped traffic and additional Airborne Surveillance applications delivering
benefits to the airspace users.

The integration and rationalisation of Surveillance systems is ongoing, driven by ADS-B. Two good
examples of this are ACAS Hybrid Surveillance on the airborne side and combined ADS-B and
multilateration systems on the ground. Surveillance modernisation, including implementation of
ADS-B and/or multilateration is happening not only in Europe, but also in all other continents across
the world.

Australia and Canada provide operational ATS based on ADS-B already since 2009. In Australia, ADS-
B is currently mandated for all operations at and above FL290 and, from February 2017, ADS-B will
be required for all IFR operations. ADS-B implementation in Canada is based on operational benefits
for ADS-B equipped traffic (for example providing ADS-B based ATS over Hudson Bay, Greenland and
airspace above the Atlantic Ocean). Canada has not yet published an ADS-B mandate.

USA has published an ADS-B Rule, with applicability from 1 Jan 2020, which requires ADS B Out
equipage in dedicated airspace (similar to where a transponder is currently required). More than 630
Ground stations have been deployed.

ADS-B and/or multilateration implementation related work is also being undertaken in all continents
worldwide, including:

Africa (Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Namibia, South Africa)
South and Central America (Brazil, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago)
Asia (Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia,
Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam)
Oceania (New Zealand)

Related Articles
Single European Sky (SES)
SESAR
Global Navigation Satellite System
Wide Area Multilateration
Mode S
Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS)
En-route Tracking of Aircraft

Further Reading
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ADS-B in Non Radar Airspace (ADS-B
NRA), EUROCAE ED-126 / RTCA DO-303, 2006
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ADS-B in Radar Airspace (ADS-B
RAD), EUROCAE ED-161 / RTCA DO-318, 2009
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ADS-B for Airport Surface
Surveillance (ADS-B APT), EUROCAE ED-163 / DO-321, 2010
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ATSAW In-Trail procedure in oceanic
airspace (ATSAW ITP), EUROCAE ED-159 / RTCA DO-312, 2008
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ATSAW Visual Separation in
Approach (ATSAW VSA), EUROCAE ED-160 / RTCA DO-314, 2008
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ATSAW during flight operations
(ATSAW AIRB), EUROCAE ED-164 / DO-319, 2010
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for ATSAW on the Airport Surface
(ATSAW SURF), EUROCAE ED-165 / RTCA DO-322, 2010
Safety Performance and Interoperability Requirements for Flight Deck Interval Management
(ASPA-FIM), EUROCAE ED-195, 2011
Acceptable Means of Compliance for ADS-B NRA (AMC 20-24), EASA, 2008
Technical Specification for the ADS-B Ground Station, ED-129, EUROCAE, 2010
Implementing Rule on Surveillance Performance and Interoperability Requirements (SPI-IR), 2011
Minimum Operational Performance Standards for 1090 MHz ADS-B and TIS-B, EUROCAE ED-
102A / RTCA DO260B, 2009
 Preliminary Safety Case for ADS-B NRA, EUROCONTROL, 2008
Preliminary Safety Case for ADS-B RAD, EUROCONTROL, 2010
ICAO Doc 9871 ‘Technical Provisions for Mode S Services and Extended Squitter’ First Edition
2008
EUROCONTROL CASCADE Programme
EUROCONTROL - Surveillance Modernisation
Global Operational Data Link Document (GOLD): 2nd edition, 26 April 2013; ICAO
Guidance Material for Mode S-Specific Protocol Application Avionics by R.D. Grappel and R.T.
Wiken, MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the USAF, 2007
ICAO 2015 Annual Safety Report: NAT Region, 2016

Categories: Air Ground Communication Operational Issues Loss of Separation

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