NATS Selects Era for UK Height Monitoring Unit

Eras HMU solution will allow for a much more comprehensive audit of aircraft in UK airspace than the equipment it replaces, with improved quality of signal processing. HMUs provide precise surveillance measurements in three dimensions and are used to ensure target levels of safety can be delivered in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace by comparing actual altitude to assigned and reported altitude. Eras system will provide continuous monitoring primarily of the NATS North Atlantic traffic and also will support approval for aircraft flying in RVSM airspace. The system for NATS will use the latest generation of the Era surveillance technology already deployed in Eurocontrols HMU based in Linz, Austria, which has a very long history of high performance and reliability. Having been involved in all of the previous HMU deployments in Europe, I am particularly pleased to be able to work with NATS on the next generation of HMU systems, based on Eras rugged, proven, high performance MSS multilateration platform, said Tim Quilter, Eras UK-based Director of Product Development. As traffic densities increase, the global requirement for HMU systems is rising and the NATS/Era system will incorporate the experience of both organizations to develop the most advanced HMU system in the world. Eras proven MSS surveillance platform, coupled with the knowledge and experience of some of the key Era people, gave NATS a lot of confidence in this selection, said Khalid El Seed, NATS Project Manager. RVSM compliance in the busy transatlantic routes is a critical safety issue and we look forward to working with Era on this next generation HMU system. The data will be used by the NATS Central Monitoring Agency under its ICAO terms of reference. The contract for NATS includes the deployment of Eras MSSsm Multilateration and ADS-B surveillance system to provide high-precision, three dimensional position information to a sophisticated database and analysis system which can identify altitude deviations and report performance by aircraft, airline or by individual movement. From periodic analysis of individual aircraft compliance data, NATS will be able to monitor airframe performance in its RVSM airspace.