1. NEXCOM Next Generation Air/Ground Communications Briefing Presented to
            
Briefing Presented to
AMCP Working Group “M”
Montreal, Canada
December 16, 2002
James T. Eck
Air/Ground Communications Product Team Lead
Federal Aviation Administration

2. NEXCOM Acquisition Program Elements
Multimode Digital Radio
Analog & digital
Digital capability for
voice and data
VHF T/R
RIU
GNI
Ground System
Avionics
Analog & digital
System Demo Program
NEXCOM architecture & commercial avionics

3. Validation & Inter-Operability Tests with Airborne Avionics
NEXCOM Schedule
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
System Demo
Program
10/02
System
Demo I
10/03
System
Demo II
10/04
Operational
Demo
Multimode
Digital
Radio
MDR deployment
8-12/02 Ops
Testing
7/01
Contract
Award
5/03
Begin
Deployment
07-12 Implementation
Ground System
Validation & Inter-Operability Tests
with Airborne Avionics
1/05
Full Scale Dev Contract Award
11/02
RPDE
Source Selection
10/01 Sys Reqs
Doc
10/07
Keysite
10/02
Strawman
Characteristics
Complete
12/09 Operational
8/03 Notice of
Availability
TSO
9/03 AEEC
Apprvd
Char.
Avionics
8/03 Notice of
Availability
TSO
9/03 AEEC
Approved
Char.
8/04
Certified Aircraft
10/01 MOPS
12/01 GIAs
6/05-12/09 Aircraft equip
Rule
Making
6/03
Begin
Formal Internal
Coordination
1/04
NPRM
6/04
Initiate
Final Rule
6/05
Rule Published

4. National Airspace System Transition to Digital Communications
Analog Voice, 25 KHz
Initial Datalink (VDL-2)
Full Operational Evaluation & Exercise of Digital Voice and Datalink (VDL-3)
Next 5 years
5-10 years
Maintain Terminal Analog Voice
Implement VDL-3 Digital Voice
Expand Datalink VDL-2 Applications
10-15 years
Expand Enroute Digital Voice (VDL-3)
Initiate Terminal Digital Voice (VDL-3)
Increase Datalink Capacity & Capability (VDL-2 & VDL-3)
15-20 years
Expand Digital Voice (VDL-3) to all domains
Expand Datalink Capacity in all domains and all applications (VDL-2 & VDL-3)
Enroute High Airspace
Dem/Val
VDL-3 Link
VDL-2 Datalink
0101
RCAG
Analog
Voice
ARTCC
01010
National Airspace
AFSS
Terminal
Airspace

5. NAS Data Link Transition
FAA views VDL Mode 2 and VDL Mode 3 as complementary, not competing technologies
CPDLC initially will be fielded on VDL-2
Only viable technology in required time ( )
Stepping stone for data link use in air traffic control
FAA pays ATC message charges
CPDLC available on VDL-3 in 2012
Potential for other applications (e.g. weather) on VDL-3
Datalink applications still available to VDL-2 service providers
Users would pay any associated message charges
VDL-2 remains essential for the purpose it was developed
AOC and other air traffic management functions
FAA does not plan to provide AOC-type information on VDL-3

6. International Harmonization
FAA strongly supports the 1995 ICAO COM/OPS/DIV
decision for digital, TDMA-based voice and data link
as the future air/ground communications technology