Honeywell has completed initial testing of its new Surface Indications and Alert System (SURF IA) safety technology that is intended to reduce accidents and collisions on runways.
Honeywell’s system has been jointly developed by Airbus, Dassault and Eurocontrol under the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research programme.
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The software-based SURF IA solution provides aircraft pilots with visual and audio warnings about approaching hazards on the runway.
The safety technology uses software-based data analysis and algorithms to deliver early warning to aircrews. This has been designed to help flight crew members make quicker decisions and avoid runway accidents.
Honeywell’s system analyses aircraft position data and calculates factors such as the time to collision, through specialised algorithms to warn pilots of other aircraft in their vicinity.
Honeywell Aerospace Advanced Technologies vice-president Mike Stewart said: “There are no independent avionics systems on the market today that can help avoid runway accidents and collisions.
“With solutions such as Honeywell’s SmartRunway, SmartLanding and now SURF IA, we are pioneering accident prevention through better pilot awareness, less latency in decision-making and quicker actions.
“SURF IA allows us to take our existing technology a step further by helping reduce the risk of an incident with other aircraft on the runway.”
The new technology has been designed in a way that it requires minimal changes to the existing avionics.
SURF IA uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast out data, which is a globally mandated technology upgrade due by 2020. The system has been designed to be installed quickly and easily.
Honeywell intends to begin full-scale production development of the SURF IA system following successful prototype testing on the company’s test aircraft.
