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| Jac Jansen, Director of MUAC, and Major General Rudy Debaene, acting Director General Material Resources. Photo: Eurocontrol |
[Avionics Magazine 12-22-2016] Eurocontrol will deploy its Air Traffic Control (ATC) system of the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) at several military sites across Belgium for the provision of military air traffic services in Belgian airspace.
The decision by the Belgian state underpins the recommendations of a study that assessed the operational and technical feasibility of deploying a Shared Air Traffic Service (ATS) System (SAS) at Belgian Air Defence sites as a replacement for the current SEROS II system, which is reaching the end of its life cycle. The shared ATS system will become operational in 2019 at the Air Traffic Control Center (ATCC) for en-route military operations and at the ATC towers in Koksijde, Beauvechain, Florennes and Kleine-Brogel for approach and tower operations.
The Shared ATS System is a pioneering data services project allowing ATM data services to be provided by one air navigation service provider to another, whether civil or military. It helps alleviate the defragmentation of the European network and lays the foundations for SESAR’s Virtual Centre Concept.
Military controllers in Belgium will use the same flight data processing system, controller working positions and human-machine interface as those used at MUAC. This entails processing information (e.g. correlated aircraft tracks and flight plans) for en-route, approach and tower control operations. The project will require adaptation of the MUAC flight data processing system and controller working positions in order to integrate the Belgian Air Defence airspace and sectors and to develop and implement the specific military functions identified in the feasibility study.