SDM DLS Status update, Recovery Plan and Report on DLS Architecture and Deployment Strategy
SESAR Deployment Manager was mandated by the European Commission to contribute to the recovery of the DLS Implementation in Europe that was experiencing some issues and, consequently, delays.
SDM elaborated the Recovery Plan, based on a list of actions and recommendations by EASA and the ELSA Consortium regarding the issues encountered in the implementation of the IR(EU) 29/2009 that prescribes the VDL Mode 2* implementation. This Recovery Plan, approved by the European Commission, was divided in two Paths. The first one was related to the implementation of the transitional DLS solution that SDM has successfully coordinated. The second one was related to the definition of the European DLS architecture for the medium-long term.
Within this context, SDM produced the Report on DLS Architecture and Deployment Strategy, which summarizes the activities performed by SDM in collaboration with the most relevant stakeholders and bodies, including the Capacity Assessment study conveyed by the University of Salzburg and the Business Case to compare the different architectures under consideration. This report is providing the final recommendations for the DLS Implementation Strategy in Europe, as agreed with the operational stakeholders during the consultation process.
SDM’s final recommendations are threefold:
Take into account past good results in the DLS implementation to keep a strong Programme Management in place;
Implement Architecture Proposal 2, which includes the Common European ATN Backbone (CEAB) and the introduction at the same time of alternative communication technologies to alleviate the VDL M2 communication system operating in the congested VHF spectrum;
Establish the DLS Governance and a single European Data Link Service Provider (DSP) as early as possible.
* Very High Frequency Data-Link Mode 2