Raytheon Co., a defense, civil government, and cybersecurity solutions company, is partnering with Frequentis, an air-traffic communications and data solutions provider, to equip U.S. civilian airports with remote virtual tower technology.
The technology is an alternative to physical towers. It uses live video feeds from 360-degree high resolution cameras positioned around remote airfields. The cameras create a panoramic view that is displayed on several monitors.
The virtual towners can accommodate different airport configurations and aircraft and can adjust to varying weather conditions and traffic levels.
“These tower systems could significantly increase the safety and efficiency of airport operations in locations that either don’t have towers today or have towers that need expensive renovations,” Matt Gilligan, Raytheon’s vice president of intelligence, information, and services, said. “Remote virtual towers could also help boost local economies by allowing smaller civilian airports to extend their hours and expand their range of services.”
Air traffic controllers will have an enhanced view for observing and managing air traffic at one or multiple airports from an off-airport location. This means controllers could support multiple airports from a centralized location.
The technology is an emerging trend that is a affordable air-traffic service, Leonard Swiontek, Frequentis president, said.