PHOENIX, May 11, 2018 – ACSS, an L3 and Thales Company, announced today that American Airlines will equip its fleet of Airbus A321 aircraft with the ACSS SafeRoute® Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In suite of software applications as well as supporting Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) processors and displays. ACSS already provides this technology for American’s Airbus A330 fleet.
SafeRoute uses ADS-B technology to increase safety and efficiencies for flight operations, including Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) for enhanced traffic situational awareness, CDTI Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) and an initial version of Interval Management, which is an application that supports aircraft managing spacing relative to other aircraft.
“NextGen technologies associated with ADS-B In provide a significant value to American Airlines and our pilots,” said Ron Thomas, Managing Director of Flight Operations for American. “American Airlines believes ADS-B In provides opportunities to enhance airport efficiencies and further safety through increased pilot situational awareness provided by the ACSS software suite.”
“By equipping with our new SafeRoute architecture, American Airlines will realize efficiency improvements, enhanced situational awareness and operational benefits,” said Terry Flaishans, President of ACSS. “The new SafeRoute ADS-B In architecture simplifies the installation by utilizing existing TCAS displays and a new graphical ADS-B guidance display, reducing overall system cost and installation efforts.”
American Airlines’ ADS-B In equipage will support an ACSS/FAA agreement to implement the SafeRoute suite in the U.S. National Airspace System and to gather, analyze and report the ADS-B In application benefits.
ACSS’s SafeRoute uses ADS-B In technology to improve situational awareness for pilots and improve the aircraft’s operating efficiency during takeoff, en route, approach and landing. The initial Interval Management application makes flying more efficient by enabling aircraft to achieve and maintain desired spacing intervals, resulting in more predictable and optimized spacing between aircraft. Combining Optimized Profile Descent procedures with SafeRoute’s initial Interval Management application decreases low-level vectoring and increases arrival performance, resulting in reduced noise, emissions and fuel burn.
About ACSS
Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), 70 percent owned by L3 and 30 percent owned by Thales, is a joint venture managed by L3’s Commercial Aviation Solutions sector. ACSS designs and manufactures products for all aircraft and helicopter segments, and supports products for air transport and regional airlines, business aviation, and helicopter, General Aviation (GA) and military aircraft operators. ACSS produces avionics systems that increase safety, situational awareness and efficiency for commercial and military flight operators. More than 75,000 ACSS products are operating in commercial, corporate and military aircraft. Thales Avionics is the exclusive air transport sales and support agent of ACSS products. For information about ACSS, visit www.acss.com. For information about Thales Avionics, visit www.thalesgroup.com.
