Leonardo strengthens its presence in Africa in the air traffic control (ATC) sector thanks to two contracts, recently signed, which provide for the supply of ATC systems in Somalia and Sudan. The announcement was made during the African Airshow event, underway in Accra (Ghana), in which the company participates with its own exhibition space.
The first contract was signed in Montreal with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) which signed it on behalf of the federal government of Somalia. Leonardo, with the support of its company Selex ES Technologies Limited (SETL) based in Kenya, will provide a national area control center (ACC - Air Control Center) and three control towers that will be installed in the major airports of the country to a total of 16 operator stations, as well as a VHF radio system and a satellite network. The systems will be operational by mid-2018 and will ensure full management of Somali air traffic. The national area control center will integrate a wide range of products and tools and will allow to meet different operational requirements and air traffic management environments: from large national centers to the smallest control towers.
The second acquisition concerns Sudan: through Selex ES Technologies Limited, Leonardo will equip the country's civil aviation authority (SCAA - Sudan Civil Aviaton Authority) with a national ADS-B network (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) and will update the SIR-S model / The four secondary radar systems operating in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Dongola and El Obeid, supplied by Leonardo to SCAA in 2009. Deliveries are expected from mid-2018.
ADS-B is a surveillance technology that allows you to monitor an aircraft thanks to the periodic transmission via satellite of its position. Leonardo's ground stations therefore receive information on altitude, speed and position from the GPS of the aircraft, allowing the controllers to “see” in real time the cooperating aircraft in the monitored space, with a significant optimization of air traffic management.
The upgrading of the four secondary radars to the SIR-S / I technology standard will ensure maximum accuracy in aircraft identification, better scenarios awareness, and optimized monitoring capability.
Leonardo's ATC systems have a long tradition in the African continent where the company has installed radar and air traffic control and control systems in Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal, Kenya. With over 50 years of experience, Leonardo has developed, built and installed over 300 Air Traffic Management and Control Centers. The company also provided more than 80 simulators, offering advanced training across the globe. Leonardo also sold more than 700 primary and secondary surveillance radar (including S mode), as well as more than 2.000 operator stations and 1.000 navigation systems. Leonardo provided over 160 weather radar and 40 automated weather observation systems to track weather effects on flights. Leonardo communication equipment is present in more than 600 airports and third generation radio stations offer customers advanced multimodal communication capabilities for simultaneous voice and data transmission.