Performance requirements for communications systems are more and more complex, demanding for air and ground solutions considered as a common infrastructure, with a unified concept of operations, where possible. The research activities will drive the full implementation of concepts such as infrastructure as a service to facilitate the complete decoupling of service provision such as infrastructure and information services, from the physical location of the infrastructure, as outlined in the target architecture specified in the European ATM Master Plan.

Main activities

• Collaborative Cyber Security Framework for CNS: to elevate trust and safety - The main objective is to provide effective and long-term defence against cyber security attacks to future hyper-connected and automated aeronautical CNS environment. The increase in connectivity and automation may facilitate propagation of cyber security threats across the global architecture, requiring a more collaborative approach to the design of future security solution
•  Hyper Connected ATM precursor: to pave the way for the best use of safety and secured public communication links - The main ambition of this solution is to show the feasibility to use public air-ground links and networks as a complement to legacy safety links, to support safety and regularity of flights related air-ground communications. The Hyper Connected ATM concept will leverage state of the art “at hand” commercial radio infrastructure already deployed to serve in-flight connectivity for passengers; for augmenting the end-to-end cockpit communications’ general performance
•  FCI Services and IPS Enhancements: to enhance the FCI Mobility & Multilink for a safer and more interoperable Aviation - The future communication infrastructure (FCI) is a critical enabler for long term viability of many operational concepts developed in SESAR. Baseline is the FCI IPS mobility & multilink. Research topics will address multilink policy management, enhanced performances for the most critical ATM Services of the future and other IPS enhancements
• FCI Terrestrial Data Links – LDACS: to provide secure, high throughput communication capability and voice, with embedded navigation capability - LDACS, standardised by ICAO,  will enable efficient, secure, and high-bandwidth communication and will be designed to be compatible with legacy technologies in L-Band, both civil and military. The main objectives of this Solution are to increase the maturity level of the LDACS airborne enabler, through the development of LDACS avionic prototype.