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| Diagram of ADS-B airspace. Photo: FAA |
[Avionics Today 09-30-2014] Exelis, as the prime contractor responsible for the FAA execution of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) program, reports it is delivering surveillance coverage requirements on budget and on schedule. However, despite the terms of the original contract being met, recent media reports, alongside reports by the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General, are citing coverage gaps and the necessity for some 200 additional ground stations. Exelis states these additional stations are not part of the core ADS-B program requirements, although there are plans to put the required stations in places that have reported coverage gaps.
Despite certain setbacks, gains have been made with ADS-B. As a result of ADS-B coverage, an ADS-B-only route has been established over the Gulf of Mexico, which resulted in approximately nine minutes reduction in flight time between southern Florida and California; there has been a decrease in accident rate of over 35 percent for ADS-B-equipped aircraft over non-equipped aircraft in Alaska; and the re has been an increase of more than 300 percent for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) low-altitude traffic in the Gulf of Mexico since 2009.