Cassidian improves air traffic control at Vienna International Airport

Cassidian, the renamed defence and security division of EADS, will equip Vienna International Airport with its MSSR 2000 I airspace surveillance system (MSSR = Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar), under a contract from Austro Control, the Austrian civil air traffic control organisation.

Cassidian thus improves the reliability and precision of air traffic control and, for the first time, makes it possible for Austro Control to use the latest approach control processes for airspace surveillance.

“Our MSSR 2000 I system is the only air traffic control radar worldwide, which combines the two most advanced processes for airspace surveillance,” explains Bernd Wenzler, CEO of Cassidian Electronics. “This closes gaps in airspace surveillance, thus paving the way for a more efficient use of airspace.”

The MSSR 2000 I system combines the advanced processes of Mode S and ADS-B. On the one hand, this radar enables the active transmission of interrogation signals to collect movement data produced in the aircraft according to the latest Mode S air traffic control standard. However, on the other hand, it also allows for the passive reception of automatically broadcast identification signals from the aircraft. These signals contain data about an aircraft’s position, its speed or even its destination. According to Mode S, for the first time, each aircraft is assigned an unmistakable digital “address”, which can be reliably identified without interference from external radio signals.

At the same time, transponders on board the aircraft constantly broadcast identification signals, which are received in the so-called ADS-B process (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast) and which are combined with the Mode S data. The radar thus guarantees a real-time overview of the positions of all aircraft, resulting in a significant improvement in air traffic control and a more efficient use of the air space.

Similar secondary radars are also used by military forces, for the reliable identification of their own and friendly aircraft. For example, for military friend-or-foe identification, the MSSR 2000 I interrogator is deployed by the armed forces of Germany, France, the UK and Australia. In total, Cassidian has contracts for 275 systems in 25 countries.

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