Transoceanic Traffic Control and Operational Support Using Satellite Systems

An analysis has been performed which relates the operational requirements of the projected civil, air, and marine traffic in the North Atlantic Ocean Area in the post-1975 era to the projected communications, position determination, and satellite technology. The result is a synthesis of a system composed of satellites, ground stations, and hardware in various user craft which provides transoceanic traffic control as well as a wide variety of operational support services for aviation and marine craft. Requirements for communications, surveillance, and navigation associated with air traffic control as well as aviation and marine advisory services and company communications, marine navigation, and such specialized functions as air-sea rescue and collision avoidance are summarized. The position determination concept selected provides accurate surveillance information for traffic control purposes and a range of accuracies which are a function of user hardware cost for navigational purposes. The operational and technical factors associated with the VHF versus L-band communications links are also treated. The total system which is synthesized is clearly both technically feasible and operationally attractive