Thales helps secure air traffic in Afghanistan

Thales announces the signing of a contract as well as the achievement of an important milestone with the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA), as part of their efforts to secure the airspace of Afghanistan. 

On 8 August, Thales and the ACAA completed the System Acceptance Test and take-over certificate for the Terminal Manoeuvring Area Multilateration System at Mazar-e-Sharif airport.

This important milestone will see the system deployed alongside a complete renovation and relocation of the tower equipment into a new tower, making the Mazar-e-Sharif tower one of the most advanced and modern in the region.

Performance test results showed the system worked well above the levels set for aircraft separation requirements, specifically to make aging aircraft not equipped with modern Mode S transponders visible to the tower. The system achieved optimised coverage with only a few ground stations, at altitudes from runway threshold up to minimum flight levels.

In addition, Thales has also signed a one-year maintenance contract with the ACAA for the countrywide ADS-B/WAM3 system, which has been in operation since 2012. The contract includes operation, maintenance, site leasing and satellite communication services for 29 ground stations distributed all over the Afghan territory.

The MLAT in Mazar-e-Sharif will be integrated into the countrywide WAM system. The two systems will greatly aid Afghan air traffic control by delivering tracking data of landing and departing aircraft as well as helping track aircraft en route to other destinations.