Current Air-Ground data communication solutions are not appropriate for the evolution of information sharing aircraft domains like ACD (Aircraft Control Domain) and AISD (Airline Information Services Domain). They do not allow enabling the foreseen safe, secure, interoperable and cost effective greater airborne automation, digitalization and collaboration. Such limitations concern both applications (e.g. datalink applications, ACARS applications, etc.) and the communication means (ACARS legacy networks and ATN networks). Main limitations include, but are not limited to, security, reliability, interoperability, tightly coupled architecture/protocol stacks and maintenance of multiple and heterogeneous solutions.
This solution aims to validate how SWIM principles, state-of-the-art architecture and technologies, compared with existing datalink technologies, contribute in mitigating current Air-Ground limitations. It also helps achieving planned CNS transformation bringing benefits in terms of increased cost efficiency, enhanced safety, and improved security. This solution contributes also to promoting global interoperability, technology harmonization, minimizing solutions/technologies segmentation, service orientation, digitalization and automation.
This solution materializes the SWIM-enabled aircraft concept (aircraft to be a fully connected information node in SWIM network): the deployment of the Air-Ground SWIM technical infrastructure enabling the aircraft to consume and provide SWIM information services promoting airborne participation in collaborative ATM.
Air-Ground SWIM infrastructure includes messaging, security and monitoring capabilities representing advanced extensions of current standardized infrastructure capabilities. It introduces time, space, and synchronization decoupled communication over standard AMQP 1.0 interface. It relies on IP network providing standard and advanced capabilities such as class of service.
The solution is being validated in a flight test. The validation aims at validating Air-Ground SWIM infrastructure (aka Purple Profile) reliability and performance in a representative environment. The purpose is to move from technological feasibility centric to performance-focused validation. The Air-Ground SWIM infrastructure capabilities are deployed on the ground and on-board enabling end to end uplink and downlink SWIM information sharing (weather, aircraft parameters, EPP, aeronautical data). The solution is deployed on-board of Do 228 from DLR, integrated with experimental avionics and interconnected with ground via LDACS COM.

Benefits
Cost efficiency
Enhanced safety
Security
Interoperability

Stakeholders
ANSP
AU
NM
AO