CASSIDIAN ensures flight safety of all German Forces aircraft

September 23, 2011 defpro.com

Latest-technology transponder STR 2000 fulfills new requirements of air traffic control authorities

Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, has successfully concluded the modernization of the identification equipment of all German Forces' aircraft. With the final deliveries in a multi-year modernization program, Cassidian has handed over the last tranche of its STR 2000 transponders to the German Procurement Authority BWB. In total, more than 650 transponders were delivered since 2002. The new equipment ensures the safe operation of aircraft in civilian airspace according to new requirements of the European air traffic control authority EuroControl.

Transponders are a crucial element to ensure flight safety. As part of air traffic control, interrogators on the ground emit signals to request flight data from individual aircraft, e.g. on their origin, course or speed. These requests are then automatically answered by transponders located on board the approaching aircraft, so that the position of each individual aircraft can always be reliably tracked.

Military aircraft also respond to these non-military requests. In the so-called Identification-Friend-or-Foe (IFF) process, they even transmit additional data in an encrypted mode, allowing all aircraft to be unmistakably identified, e.g. during military operations. Thereby, inadvertent friendly attacks can be prevented. For this reason, military aircraft require transponders with both civil and military functions.

Cassidian has wide experience in the field of military and civil air traffic control and identification. The company has supplied numerous military identification systems for air, naval and ground vehicles to a number of armed forces, e.g. in Germany, France, Finland and Australia. For civil air traffic control, Cassidian’s identification systems are used in countries such as Austria and the Philippines.