[Airport ground vehicles get the capability to transmit their position to air traffic controllers.]

Herndon, VA -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified the ITT Exelis (XLS) vehicle movement area transmitter (V-MAT) device as fully compliant with its standards.

V-MAT is a device that permits ground vehicles operating on the airport surface to broadcast their position. FAA air traffic controllers can then view and track the vehicles, as well as appropriately equipped aircraft operating near the airport and on the airport surface. This enhanced situational awareness for air traffic controllers provides a complete picture of airport surface activity and enables greater safety and efficiency for airfield operations.

“Achieving certification of this device was the result of a significant collaborative effort between Exelis, FAA, Massachusetts Port Authority, and the FreeFlight Systems vehicle unit manufacturer,” said Ted Carniol, head of Exelis commercial aviation solutions. “Equipping vehicles with V-MAT will increase the safety and efficiency of airfield operations particularly in situations such as construction and snow removal and in critical situations such as aircraft emergency events.”

The Exelis V-MAT is the first such device to be certified by the FAA under the stringent requirements of FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5220-26. This certification ensures that the devices are properly installed and configured in airport vehicles, properly maintained, and fully compliant with FAA standards for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). ADS-B is the FAA’s satellite-based successor to radar and is the cornerstone of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) initiative to modernize air traffic control in the national airspace system.

The V-MAT device uses ADS-B technology to determine and share precise vehicle location information. Vehicles operating with V-MAT devices will have their transmissions automatically detected by FAA ADS-B receivers and delivered to air traffic controller positions for complete airport-wide situational awareness anywhere, anytime.

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