Rohde & Schwarz Successfully Completes RAAF Air Ground Air Transition Project

Rohde & Schwarz has demonstrated expertise in the AIR5431 Phase 3 project to transform Australian military air traffic management.

As a communications systems integrator (CSI) for the Air Ground Air Transition (AGAT) project lead by BAE Systems, Rohde & Schwarz Australia has completed its scope of work in 16 months, despite challenges imposed by the global health crisis.

“Working to a tight project schedule, our team has again been equal to the task,” says Managing Director Rohde & Schwarz Australia Gareth Evans. “This work included provision of over 300 CERTIUM radios and ancillaries, CERTIUM VCS as the backup voice communications system and CERTIUM management systems for 12 defense aerodromes across Australia.”

“To set up a team and design, deliver and integrate these systems to achieve the factory acceptance test milestones in under 5 months, and subsequently deliver the systems for 12 sites over the next 11 months – 4 of which were subject to a COVID-19 freeze – is a truly admirable feat and I’m immensely proud of their efforts.”

“AGAT is yet another example of our ability to provide a locally designed and engineered customized solution which leverages our group’s communications technology portfolio in order to meet a particular defense capability need,” says Evans.

Head of Programs Air Traffic Control Daniel Wang says that Rohde & Schwarz Australia has delivered fully engineered, security hardened and configured systems that will continue to be supported and enhanced into the future: “We received very positive feedback from both BAE Systems and the Commonwealth Project Office regarding our project delivery performance, the capability of the systems we delivered and our innovative approach.”

Marius Münstermann, Vice President Air Traffic Control, Rohde & Schwarz, concludes: “This success and positive feedback from all parties involved reinforces our hard-earned reputation as trusted partner for secure communications systems within the aerospace sector, particularly when it comes to air traffic control, air defense and air battlespace management.”

Rohde & Schwarz Australia provided the complete business continuity function (backup voice communications system) and monitoring subsystems to BAE Systems, with the scope of work spanning the initial requirements review through to the human-machine interface (HMI), system safety and security working groups, and design reviews culminating in acceptance test and evaluation activities.

Services included project management, systems design and development, systems integration, HMI customization, security hardening, verification and validation, and integrated logistics support.

Project AIR 5431 Phase 3 will acquire the defense element of the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System (CMATS) that will be used for the provision of air base air traffic services (ABATS) to both civil and military aircraft. CMATS will replace the air traffic management and control systems at 9 military approach control sites and 12 military towers around Australia.

Equipment integrated into the existing infrastructure included over 300 R&S Series4200 radios, CERTIUM VCS-4G voice communications systems and legal voice recorders, and R&SRCMS II remote control and monitoring systems.

Rohde & Schwarz group is among the technology leaders when it comes to paving the way for a safer and connected world with its leading solutions in test & measurement, technology systems, and networks & cybersecurity.