FAA Approves Honeywell's Integrated Surveillance System

The FAA granted Honeywell a TSO (technical standard order) for its Aircraft Environment Surveillance System (AESS), the first and only integrated surveillance system to obtain this approval.

AESS combines TCAS (traffic alert collision avoidance system), mode-S transponders, and Honeywell's EGPWS (enhanced ground proximity warning system) and RDR-4000 advanced 3-D volumetric weather radar into a single unit.

Honeywell says the 3-D scanning of its volumetric weather radar provides a more complete view of hazardous weather across a 320 nautical-mile range, which enables pilots to make rerouting and maneuvering decisions sooner.  It is the first and only weather radar system certified to the FAA's MOPS (minimum operation performance standard) for enhanced turbulence detection, according to Honeywell.

EGPWS provides a terrain display and alerts the flight crew if the aircraft approaches too close to terrain. And Honeywell's patented ACAS (airborne collision avoidance system), aka TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system), integrates the system's ATC/mode-S/ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast)-capable transponder to provide a display of surrounding aircraft along with pertinent alerts.

Honeywell says its AESS reduces system weight by over 20% and saves over 50% in aircraft space by combining systems typically in eight boxes into two boxes. It is already certified and operating on all delivered Airbus A380 aircraft.  02-23-2008.

Click here to become a registered Flt Tech Online subscriber and receive headlines delivered to your e-mail each week

Click here to go back to the headlines