Kongsberg remote tower. Credit: Serco.

Air navigation service provider (ANSP) Serco and Norwegian technology firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace have signed an agreement to address the increasing demand for Air Traffic Control services in the UK.

Pursuant to the terms of the strategic collaboration agreement, Kongsberg will deliver its ‘Ninox’ Remote Tower (RT) and Remote Virtual Tower (RVT) technology.

The air traffic control system is currently procured by Norwegian state-owned company Avinor ANS.

The solution will be deployed across 15 Norwegian airports by the end of 2021 with an option of an additional 21 airports.

“Our agreement with Kongsberg presents a great opportunity to bring world-class innovative technology to the UK and combines two companies with world-leading expertise.”

Serco Defence managing director Paul McCarter said: “There are over 190 airports and airfields in the UK and much of the supporting ATC infrastructure is outdated and due to be renewed in the next few years.

“Our agreement with Kongsberg presents a great opportunity to bring world-class innovative technology to the UK and combines two companies with world-leading expertise.”

Serco will share its experience and understanding of UK Government procurement, along with its global expertise in aviation services and the provision of international Air Navigation Services in the UK, US and Dubai.

The combined Kongsberg-Serco solution will support the concurrent provision of air traffic services that can provide for either an onsite, virtual solution for a single airport or a solution for multiple airports.

The Serco and Kongsberg teams hope to deliver very low maintenance costs and total cost of ownership as a result of the collaboration.

The system requires low bandwidth to operate, which allows long-distance transmissions over multiple sites. The high situational awareness, along with the integrated tower display system, offers the ATC with access to all tower functions through a single, user-friendly workspace.

Designed to function in extreme environments, the system will also support future enhancements and development with its network security and a true service-oriented architecture (SOA).