Saab Sensis achieved operational certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia for its deployment of Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and Precision Runway Monitoring (PRM) at Sydney Airport, Australia. The WAM system provides terminal airspace surveillance for improved coverage and separation services within the airport’s Terminal Maneuvering Area (TMA) and precision approach surveillance for separation of flights on independent parallel approaches to Sydney’s closely spaced parallel runways for increased efficiency. The Sydney WAM system is now the first single WAM system in the industry to simultaneously perform both complex surveillance tasks, according to the company. The sensors used for WAM and PRM are the same as the existing Saab Sensis sensors currently deployed for Sydney’s Advanced – Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) for simplified maintenance and training.
“The single Saab Sensis WAM system is enabling Airservices to achieve two critical goals at once: improve terminal area surveillance and replacement of legacy PRM radar,” said Airservices Acting General Manager Technology and Asset Services, Dan Galazowski. “We now have a terminal area surveillance solution that further enhances safety and provides the surveillance needed for precision approaches.”
Saab Sensis multilateration uses multiple non-rotating sensors to determine aircraft location based on transponder signals. Additionally, each multilateration sensor deployed by Saab Sensis supports Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B), providing an infrastructure that is ready for today’s surveillance needs and tomorrow’s avionics.
“The Saab Sensis system at Sydney is the industry’s first dual-use WAM system where a single system is responsible for two complex, disparate surveillance requirements, further demonstrating Saab Sensis’ ability to meet the most stringent surveillance demands of safety regulators,” said Ken Kaminski, vice president and general manager of Saab Sensis. “With Saab Sensis WAM, Airservices Australia has a flexible, extensible solution that is compatible with today’s and tomorrow’s avionics and can readily grow with the airport.”