The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has chosen Saab’s Aerobahn Runway and Surface Safety service for deployment at an additional 26 US airports as part of its Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) Block 3 deployment.
This installation is aimed at improving safety measures on airport runways.
The contract is for over a decade, with orders to be placed incrementally, according to the company.
Saab’s SAI solution is claimed to “improve” runway safety by “accurately” tracking aircraft, thereby ensuring that air traffic controllers have situational awareness under all weather conditions.
Based on the technology from the predecessor ASDE-X programme, this solution combines features from Saab’s commercial Aerobahn product suite.
Besides being cloud based, the surface safety system leverages Saab’s Software as a Service infrastructure and the Aerobahn Trusted ADS-B service, which depends on cooperative sensors to cut down installation and maintenance, according to the company.
Given that the system can be deployed within 90 days, it helps in rapid modernisation of the US air traffic control framework, added Saab.
Saab US president and CEO Erik Smith said: “Saab has proudly partnered with the FAA for more than 30 years and is at the forefront of helping the FAA improve surface safety across the national airspace system.
“Saab’s systems address a critical need and establish a cost-effective path to reduce the risk of runway incidents. We are honoured to provide our cloud-based solution at 26 additional airports, providing air traffic controllers and passengers with the safety tools they deserve.”
Saab has previously deployed its cloud-based solution at several US airports, including Nashville, San Antonio, Long Beach, and Hollywood Burbank, under the SAI programme.
In March this year, Saab launched a Digital Apron Management Centre at Lima Airport in Peru that is equipped with “advanced” technologies to enhance operational efficiency and capacity.
The system is claimed to provide Lima Airport Partners with improved situational awareness and control over apron activities.
