Scalable version of the platform makes incorporating an SLT strategy easier and more affordable for more test scenarios

East Aurora, NY | October 30, 2017–Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Astronics Test Systems (ATS) is introducing an expansion of the ATS 5034 System-Level Test (SLT) Platform. Featuring new semi-automatic solutions in a scalable system, the ATS 5034 now offers lower volume, higher mix, small lot, and/or longer test duration options for semiconductor manufacturers.

With this introduction, the company now delivers configurations that facilitate the industry’s fastest, easiest development path from single-site to massively parallel system-level test for semiconductor packages of all types.

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Geneva | March 2, 2017– The Czech Republic’s air navigation service provider has appointed SITAONAIR to deliver a “communication gateway” to its capital’s airport.

SITAONAIR will support air-to-ground data link applications to Prague Airport through its Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) network. The ambition is to extend this capability out to other Czech airports in the future.

SITAONAIR’s communication gateway will provide a channel for Air Navigation Service of the Czech Republic (ANS CR) to send Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS) and data link departure clearance (DCL) messages to aircraft.

This will be equally beneficial to pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC), replacing routine messages on congested voice frequencies with digital messages, to minimize the risk of misunderstanding. It will also reduce air traffic controllers’ and pilots’ workloads by ensuring ATC messages in the cockpit are displayed on screen, or printed in-cockpit. This will ensure that pilots won’t have to rely on interpreting bad quality voice messages.

François Bardin, Head of Air Traffic Service Solutions at SITAONAIR, said: “It is a source of pride to us that we have been chosen to deliver this project for the Czech Republic’s air navigation service provider.

“Establishing this new communications gateway for ground-to-air data link applications, using our data link network, will not only greatly enhance our existing service for ANS CR, and the consistency and safety of controller-pilot communications, but offer complete end-to-end support.”

Ivo Priplata, ATM/CNS expert, COM domain of Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic, ANS CR, added: “SITAONAIR was an easy choice for us to deliver what will be a very important enhancement to our ground-to-air data link communications capabilities.

“Nearly 800,000 aircraft movements in Czech airspace, including some 200,000 arrivals and departures, were handled by us in 2015 alone. The addition of SITAONAIR’s data link communications infrastructure will therefore be a very important evolution in reinforcing the flows of efficient, reliable and safe communications in Czech airspace.”

To discover our Air Traffic Control solutions, click here, or for cockpit solutions, click here. You can find out more about SITAONAIR by visiting www.sitaonair.aero.

East Aurora, NY | April 21, 2016– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO) (“Astronics”), a leading supplier of products to the global aerospace, defense, electronics and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems (“ATS”), has been awarded a number of follow-on orders from its largest customer valued at approximately $20 million. These orders are for additional production test systems, retooling, services, and support. The orders will mostly be reflected in the second quarter of 2016’s bookings, while revenue will be concentrated in the third quarter of 2016.

Peter J. Gundermann, President and CEO of Astronics, noted “These orders mark the third year of our involvement with this customer since we started deliveries in 2014. We believe this is a testament to the uniqueness and capabilities of our test solutions and the value add our ATS team provides. As we look forward, we are encouraged by our customer’s continued interest in our capabilities and anticipate extending the reach of our capabilities into new programs and new applications as opportunities allow. The return on invested capital in this business has been beyond expectations, and we expect the future to continue to bode well for us.”

The expectation of these orders was included in the previously provided range of projected revenue for the Test Systems segment in 2016, which was approximately $93 million to $109 million.

IFExpress readers: Don’t get cold feet over this bit of aviation communication technology; however, it might help to get started by reviewing today’s aircraft ACARS System.

For the last few years, Axel Jahn’s TriaGnoSys has never ceased to amaze us. First it was IFE and then Connectivity, last year it was weather, and now, his company is proposing and testing what we like to consider as the new ACARS… all in association with his “One-Box-Wonder”. If you aren’t a pilot type, ACARS is a digital datalink system for transmission of short, simple, protocol heavy messages between mostly commercial aircraft and ground. The TriaGnoSys solution, SANDRA (Seamless Aeronautical Networking through integration of Data links, Radios and Antennas), described in their own words as a proof-of-concept testbed of future IPv6-based connectivity, which integrates cockpit communications with both passenger and non-operational airline communications into a common system architecture. Check out their press release. SANDRA is a connectivity approach that uses modern data protocols and if you don’t know about the company, be advised that TriaGnoSys Research and Development focuses on a broad range of mobile communication fields, including mobile end-to-end solutions, wireless In-flight Entertainment (IFE), next generation satellite connectivity and cabin/cockpit communication, as well as combined navigation and communications technologies.

Charlie Pryor, TriaGnoSys PR told IFExpress: “It’s really about two things. The first is bringing seamless comms to the cockpit (as you say, seamless is important). What that means is from a pilot’s perspective he/she will be in touch with the ground throughout the flight, either using datalink or, where necessary, voice. It will be just a case of using it, without having to fiddle around connecting to the satellite or VHF or whatever. In the background, the system will choose the best connection – a satellite or whichever air-to-ground network is most appropriate. So it will be simple for the pilot to use, and efficient. It is also moving cockpit comms towards digital and away from analogue. The second element is that it integrates with passenger connectivity. It uses the same networks, but with segregation for security. It is a concept at the moment – it works but needs more development to make it operational.”

The chart on this page may help.

We thought it would be a good idea to talk to the TriaGnoSys folks and they said: “Don’t forget this is early research. The aim is to continue working on the development of this technology, moving closer to implementation. TriaGnoSys sees the next stage as a further European-funded programme, with several of the same SANDRA partners, in particular working with increased focus on the issue you highlighted integrated technology for the cockpit and the cabin, while ensuring segregation. In SANDRA, TriaGnoSys has done much of the theoretical work, as well as fundamental design and development work to achieve an early functional demonstration; implementation in real operation will require more work and further proof-of-concept trials and demos on higher TRL levels.”

Q: If voice is least preferred communication methodology (and we understand why), how is the aircraft/ground info displayed?

A: That depends entirely on the avionics system on the aircraft. But it would be displayed in a very similar way to current controller–pilot data link communications (CPDLC) data.

Q: What is the range of info requests/updates… weather, fuel, traffic, aircraft status?

A: Theoretically, there is no limit to the type of data that can be transmitted. It depends on what the regulators, air traffic providers and airlines want to use it for. There will be more bandwidth available. In fact, SESAR has specified use of future data links for ATS and AOC in the COCR (now v2), which is kind of work in progress still and is the reference for (a) what data is exchanged and (b) what are the requirements for the data link

Q: How is passenger data involved?

A: Passenger data is involved inasmuch as the cockpit and cabin will share suitable link capacities, though with strict segregation to provide security.

Q: Who pays what and when and how?

A: That is really a question to address when we get to the implementation stage. However, it is likely to be a combination of the airline, for the cockpit side, and the passenger for the cabin side.

5. What is the present-day total coverage?

A: Coverage of all flight routes is one of the key aims of SANDRA, which is why the technology uses both both satellite and ground radio links.

Q: And finally, why is this coming to aircraft now?

A: There is “a common agreement” that the current practice of voice-centric ATC and limited bandwidth cockpit data links will limit future air traffic growth. In response to that, SESAR and NextGen are specifying the future data-centric concept of operations, with future data links as a central element (LDACS, AeroMACS, Iris). ICAO has already set the framework for the next generation global Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) based on IPv6 in the ATN/IPS SARPS Doc. 9896, specifying minimum communication protocols and services required for the implementation of the future ICAO ATN. This is the background for SANDRA and why this projects brings IPv6 data links onto an aircraft.

Q: BTW, is this loosely considered airborne data integration?

A: Yes, basically that is exactly what it is.

Q: We gather this is not a “replacement” for ACARS, then?

A: SANDRA is not a replacement of ACARS. In fact, it was originally designed to transmit ACARS messages over SANDRA. So ACARS applications may run over the new links in the transitional phase, possibly being replaced by new protocols. SANDRA is more about the seamless integration of the communications technology than the details of the services that run over the communications.

Stay Tuned!