Pino Modola / Genoa
The Italian national air traffic control provider is in the second phase of testing a system that allows continuous central monitoring of systems and equipment serviceability for the whole national ATC system. The system, known as STN, is being tested by Enav, the Italian national civil aviation agency.
The system has been developed by Alenia Marconi Systems with Thales and Tecnosistemi to monitor all the sensors, navaids and equipment used by the national ATC and spread in over 80 remote sites. Data from the equipment - which includes radars, instrument landing systems, VOR/distance measuring equipment, radios, servers, displays, air conditioning systems, fire alarms and power generators - will be collected through 16 regional centres where the data will be processed, analysed, and delivered to the appropriate maintenance teams and a national centre at Rome Ciampino airport.
The STN is designed to help manage the complex ATC structure more efficiently, allowing the implementation of just-in-time processes, reducing the stock inventory and the time needed to fix problems.
Following the successful first phase tests, completed last December, Enav is now testing the regional centres' ability to detect technical failures, reconfigure the system to bypass the failing components, and provide fast advice on required repairs.
Source: Flight International
