Airways, NZ’s air navigation service provider, has selected the VCS-4G IP-based voice communications system from Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) for air traffic control (ATC) communications in NZ airspace.
The system’s IP design will help Airways make their air navigation services more resilient, flexible and efficient as it modernizes the entire NZ air traffic management (ATM) infrastructure over the next few years.
R&S will provide Airways with a quad-redundant R&S VCS-4G IP-based voice communications system over two tranches. Tranche one will deliver the equipment and infrastructure installed in Auckland and Christchurch air traffic control centers, while tranche two (anticipated to start in 2021) will deliver the tower-based equipment across 22 tower locations nationwide.
The R&S technology will support Airways NZ as they move towards a new one-center, two-location operational model across its Auckland and Christchurch locations. The design phase will be completed in 2018, with the installation and commissioning of the ATC centers in Auckland and Christchurch conducted in a phased deployment to be completed by 2020.
The overall project includes the delivery, implementation and through-life support for over 200 controller working positions, with interfacing to the new ATM system, new ATC radios and various ground-ground communication lines.
The project will be managed, delivered and supported by R&S Australia, leveraging the VCS-4G product expertise of R&S Topex.
The quad-redundant, distributed architecture offered for the control centers in Auckland and Christchurch will help Airways increase resilience and provide a unique geographic flexibility to manage their operations in a single environment in the future.