US Will Use Two Fixed and Two Deployable Systems

Frequentis has won its first military contract for its remote virtual tower (RVT) technology. The US Department of Defense (DoD) will use two fixed-base RVT systems and two deployable systems to support the US Air Force (USAF) and other DoD agencies.

In the civil domain, RVT solutions have already been tested and put into operation at airports around the world, safely managing instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) operations from remote locations: there is even greater potential to add value in military scenarios. By replacing the ‘out-of-the-window’ view with a visualisation system at a remote site, situational awareness is not only increased with enhanced visibility, but military air traffic control (milATC) staff are no longer in harm’s way, as they can conduct their duties safely from a remote location.

“The evaluation team chose Frequentis’ remote tower solution based on the company’s global organisation and support structure in airspace management and communications. By enabling the provision of milATC services on demand and remotely, RVT will reduce the risk to controllers and infrastructure, while reducing capital investments and allowing for the optimization of our resources,” commented the USAF Flight Standards Agency Executive Director, Ed Wright.

Frequentis is no stranger when it comes to meeting DoD’s mission needs. The company has been deploying and supporting Naval ATC for carriers and L-Deck ships over the last seven years. In addition, milATC voice communications systems have been rolled out to Army stage fields over the last three years. This heritage of supporting these organisations in their traditional milATC environments will be enhanced and expanded through the initial launch of these fixed and deployable remote tower installations.

“Rapidly deployable virtual towers are critical in meeting the agility requirements today’s warfighter demands. This RVT CONOPS provides military air traffic control, the resilient situational awareness DoD demands while keeping controllers out of harm’s way in secure environments,” observed the company’s Vice President Defense Solutions, John Wherry.

Frequentis will install two fixed-base systems, one at a USAF base in Florida, with the second location to be determined at a later date.