text: On request of the European Commission, SESAR Deployment Manager has developed an ADS-B Implementation Plan to map, guide and support a broader adoption of ADS-B as a surveillance technique alongside radar and multilateration.
  ADS-B Implementation Plan
  Important milestone has been reached
  On Thursday 15th November, the ADS-B Implementation Plan reached an important milestone when it was shared with all operational stakeholders and Cooperative Arrangement partners for a formal consultation which will conclude in a meeting of the SDM Stakeholder Consultation Platform, on 12th of December.
  ADS-B implementation takes place in three domains; on the ground, onboard aircraft and in space.
  The ground segment has seen an accelerating trend in rolling out ground receiver coverage, a trend that is likely to continue in the foreseeable future.
  This coverage is further complemented by the space-based variant where a dense constellation of low earth orbit satellites act as a retransmission stations and thus enable global coverage, particularly important in regions where the installation of a ground-based receiver is technically impossible or economically unjustifiable.
  When coverage is secured, the next step involves integrating ADS-B data in ANSPs’ surveillance chains and operational concepts. SDM, supported by EUROCONTROL, stands ready to guide and support the ANSPs in this complex task. Finally, it is necessary for the airborne population to reach a critical mass in terms of equipped aircraft operating in controlled airspace to unlock the rationalization potential that ADS-B stands to offer.
  On the airborne side, today around 20% of the mandated aircraft are equipped with the required standard of the ADS-B transponder, and airspace users have provided to SDM robust plans to progress with the ADS-B implementation in the rest of their fleets. The mandate target date stands at June 2020.
  In the last month SDM, supported by EUROCONTROL, has been coordinating the development of the ADS-B Implementation Plan with IATA, A4E, AIRE, EBAA, ERA, CANSO, EASA, and directly with some of the major European carriers through bilateral meetings.
  The Implementation Plan reflects the willingness of the ANSPs and AUs moving towards ADS-B implementation, and aims at synchronising and harmonising the deployment in the short-medium term. It also aims at developing a long-term strategy which includes the need to address the General Aviation segment and the potential for ground infrastructure optimisation to unlock cost-effectiveness benefits.
  The goal is to introduce ADS-B in operational use through exploitation of its capabilities and applications by the stakeholders.
  The ADS-B Implementation Plan was distributed to all operational stakeholders on Thursday 15th November for a formal consultation, which will result on a final draft including the stakeholders’ feedback by mid-December.
  Following the consultation, the final ADS-B Implementation Plan will be released to the European Commission by the end of 2018.