Mobile ATC System Delivered to U.S. Air Force

Vehicle-mounted Air Traffic Navigation, Integration, and Coordination Systems (ATNAVICS) will fit inside a C-130. [Courtesy: Collins Aerospace]

Collins Aerospace has delivered to the U.S. Air Force a fully autonomous vehicle-mounted air traffic control system designed for operations in austere environments.

The system, called Air Traffic Navigation, Integration, and Coordination Systems (ATNAVICS), will fit inside a C-130 and incorporates an S-band primary surveillance radar, an L-band secondary surveillance radar/identification friend or foe, and an X-band precision approach radar.

[Courtesy: Collins Aerospace]

The ATC systems, which are also used by the U.S. Marines and Army, are operational in inclement weather and in adverse environments, the company said.

"These self-contained air traffic control systems can be set up quickly with a small crew," Philippe Limondin, vice president and general manager of resilient navigation solutions at Collins Aerospace, said in a statement. "The system is designed to be a full-service air traffic system for those in the field to have surveillance, precision landing, and identification-friend-or-foe capabilities at their fingertips."

Members of the U.S. Marine Air Control Squadron 4 Company L and Japanese Air Self Defense Force personnel observe the sensor pallet portion of a mobile Air Traffic Navigation, Integration and Coordination System (ATNAVICS) at Yokota Air Base, Japan, in 2023. The ATNAVICS system can be rapidly deployed out of just two modified High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HUMMWV) and two trailers with power generators. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Last year, a similar system was used by Marine Corps, Air Force, and Japan Air Self Defense Force ATC specialists to simulate its deployment at Yokota Air Base, Japan, during training on the integration of mobile and fixed radar units in contested environments.