Successful flight tests for Orolia’s new autonomous distress tracking ELT-DT
Orolia announced the success of its flight tests to qualify its Emergency Locator Transmitter Distress Tracking (ELT DT) System, making them the first industry supplier to offer a compliant solution to the upcoming Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS), Autonomous Distress Tracking (ADT) requirements that will be required for all new-built commercial aircraft entering into service from January 2023.
This development comes after OROLIA’s latest Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT), the Ultima-DT, was awarded a multi-year program contract to supply Airbus with the next generation Emergency Locator Transmitters that include the Distress Tracking functionality for all Airbus aircraft programmes.
Example of Normal and Abnormal Aircraft Tracking, Autonomous Distress Tracking and Post Flight Localisation & Recovery, Source: Progress to Pinpoint an Aircraft’s Position, Airbus, July 2017
The Autonomous Distress Tracking requirements are derived from the ICAO GADSS requirements that were developed in an effort to improve aviation safety measures to enhance global tracking following the MH370 and AF447 accidents. These recommendations and requirements cover three functions: Aircraft Tracking, Autonomous Distress Tracking, and Post Flight Localisation & Recovery. This is for our global audience to consider, as ICAO and EASA are implementing ADT functionality requirements/recommendations for all aircraft having a certificate of Airworthiness issued on and after 1 January 2023, along with the adoption of similar standards by national regulatory bodies across the world.
OROLIA’s Ultima-DT is one part of the ADT system that has been designed to be compliant to ICAO Annex 6 and EASA CAT.GEN.MPA.210, along with other regional requirement and recommendations, and it will assist in the functions of ADT such as the provision of 3D positional data, the ability to transmit data to Search and Rescue, the ability to activate within 5 seconds of distress detection, and the ability to determine the accident site location within a specific radius.
Ultima-DT was developed through the Helios project, with funding support from the European GNSS Agency under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, grant agreement No 687554.
Read more about OROLIA being selected as Airbus’ ELT-DT supplier here, the successful flight tests here, the Ultima-DT product page here, or about Airbus’ GADSS compliant solution here.
Orolia provides Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions that improve the reliability, performance and safety of critical, remote or high-risk operations, even in GPS/GNSS denied environments.
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