Rohde & Schwarz Signs ATC VoIP Contract With Denmark's Naviair

Naviair
Rohde & Schwarz is upgrading radio communications at Copenhagen Airport.
Credit: Naviair

Air traffic control (ATC) equipment supplier Rohde & Schwarz has signed a contract with Naviair, Denmark's air navigation service provider, for a backup radio communications system.

The VCS-4G system—which uses VoIP and has an intuitive graphical user interface—will be installed at Copenhagen Airport’s area control and approach center, as well as in the south control tower. 

“Naviair will be able to seamlessly integrate it into their networking, management and security environments and connect both VoIP and legacy radios,” the German supplier said.

The agreement includes options for deployment in other locations, such as the west control tower at Copenhagen Airport and Naviair’s facilities at Billund Airport, in central Denmark, and in Greenland.

Separately, Rohde & Schwarz has launched the Series5200 UHF/VHF radio voice and data communications system. Compared to the Series4200, its housing is smaller and it has simplified maintenance operations, according to the supplier. Its software-defined architecture makes it easy to upgrade, the company said.

On the security side, network separation all the way down to the core of the Series5200 makes the radio resilient to denial-of-service-attacks. Other touted strong points include support of secure protocols and user authentication management. The Series5200 is interoperable with any VoIP system. 

“Air navigation service providers, currently migrating their critical communication infrastructures to IP technology, require efficient solutions to achieve adequate security levels,” Rohde & Schwarz VP of ATC market segment Constantin von Reden said. The Series5200 is part of Certium, a communications suite for ATC.

Thierry Dubois

Thierry Dubois has specialized in aerospace journalism since 1997. An engineer in fluid dynamics from Toulouse-based Enseeiht, he covers the French commercial aviation, defense and space industries. His expertise extends to all things technology in Europe. Thierry is also the editor-in-chief of Aviation Week’s ShowNews.