The SANDRA concept consists of the integration of complex and disparate communication media into a lean and coherent architecture that: provides and manages seamless service coverage across all airspace domains and all aircraft classes sustains growth in the service market and enables easy plug – in of future radio technologies through modularity and reconfigurability is upgradeable, easy reconfigurable and radio technology independent is distributed and instantiated into consistent ground – based and airborne sub – networks ensuring full interoperability. SANDRA covers from RF and avionics components up to the middleware layer of the on – board network, assembled and integrated under the most stringent safety and security requirements. Ultimately, SANDRA pursues the architectural integration of aeronautical communication system using: well – proven industry standards like IP, IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), DVB – S2, Inmarsat SwiftBroadBand a set of common interfaces standard network protocols having IPv6 as final unification point to enable a cost – efficient global and reliable provision of distributed services across all airspace domains and to all aircraft classes. The SANDRA validation activity will show the ability of the proposed integrated architecture to easily reconfigure and adapt for the flexible implementation of new communication services.

1. Seamless Aeronautical Networking through
integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
Project Overview
Angeloluca BARBA - Coordinator
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas

2. SANDRA Facts
Proposal presented
Contract Signed
Funding Scheme
Duration
Total budget
Nr. of Partners
: 7th May 2008
: 30th September 2009
: Large Scale Integrated Project, FP7
: 4 years
: 23.9 M€
: 30 partners
Topic AAT.2008.4.4.2:
Integrated approach to network centric aircraft
communications for global aircraft operations
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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3. The 2025 European Sky
3x
More flights in
the EU skies
10x
Improved safety
factor
10%
environmental
impact reduction
per flight
50%
ATM
costs cut
More services,
from ATS to APC,
with different
needs
ATM will rely on
totally on data
communication
More bandwith for
Airlines operation
& maintenance
Strong market for
PAX services
More radio
systems in
addition to old
ones
45 MCUs & 80 Kg
+ Antennas
(Without the new
systems!)
Complex network
architecture
evolution
Communications
saturated due to
traffic growth
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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4. OK, but what is SANDRA?
More services, from
ATS to APC, with
different needs
ATM will rely on
totally on data
communication
Complex network
architecture
evolution
More radio systems
in addition to old
ones
ATM will rely on
totally on data
communication
More bandwith for
Airlines operation &
maintenance
45 MCUs & 80 Kg +
Antennas
(Without the new
systems!)
Communications
saturated due to
traffic growth
Strong market for
PAX services
Strong market for
PAX services
Definition of a
Service Concept
from ATS to APC
Interworking of
technologies
through an IP-based
network
More services, from
ATS to APC, with
different needs
45 MCUs & 80 Kg +
Antennas
(Without the new
systems!)
More bandwith for
Airlines operation &
maintenance
Strong market for
PAX services
Communications
saturated due to
traffic growth
An Integrated
Modular Radio
platform based on
SDR concepts
WiMAX adaptation
for integrated
multidomained
airport connectivity
Ku band SatCom
planar RX antenna
for an asymmetric
high data rate DL
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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5. SANDRA View
Credits: UniBRAD
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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6. SP2 – A Global Service Concept
Preliminary Link technology and
network allocations according to
services (partial view)
Datalink usage Scenario for
business jet (partial view)
Airspace Operational Environment
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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7. Airplane Manet
Lose Ground…
Ground Station …
Using SAT Visible
Bridge Available
ATS
P-DATA
SP3 - Integrated Network
Air 2 Ground
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
Air
Ground
AOC
SatCom
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
Routing
Policy
Air 2 Air
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
Routing
Policy
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
P-DATA
APC
Passenger
end-system
SWIM Airborne
Middleware
Legacy endsystem
Transition
Gateway
Internet
ATS/AOC/AAC
applications
Airborne Router
and IMR
Access Network
#1
SWIM
AGDLGMS
Station
AOC Service
Provider
Access Network
#2
Ground Network
Mobility
Information
Service
Security
Services
ATS Service
Provider
Passenger
Services
Access Network
#n
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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8. SP4 Integrated Modular Radio : The
Avionic Integrator
IR
IR
(Secondary)
Frequency
Reference
Generic
Reconfigurable
Programmable
Platform
Processing Platform
Legacy Radio
Ethernet
Ethernet
(Primary)
(Primary)
JRRM AND
{
VHF + L-Band OR
M
Ku-Band OR
AeroMACS
}
Simple
CPRI
Radiofrequency
Transceivers
M
VHF
TCVR
Key
S
(Secondary)
S
M
S
M
CPRI
CPRI
S
L-Band
TCVR
Hosted in
19 inch
4U chassis
M
Ku-Band
TCVR
S
S
AeroMACS
M Physical &
TCVR
Ethernet
Reference
M
Legacy Radio
JRRM AND
{
VHF + L-Band OR
Multiple
M
M
Ku-Band OR
Datalink
AeroMACS
Waveforms
}
CPRI
S
Processing Platform
(Intel i7 + Xilinx SX95T FPGA)
Ethernet
(Intel i7 + Xilinx SX95T FPGA)
Frequency
Reference
S
S
Hosted in
19 inch
4U chassis
CPRI
high speed
flexible data bus
CPRI (M = Master, S = Slave), optical/electrical
RF & digital controls (e.g. antenna steering, HPA)
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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9. SP5 Integrated Antenna System
Ku-band receive-only antenna system with broadband optical beamforming network and broadband phased array antenna
2x2 sub-apertures
(MMIC)
Hybrid MMIC/OBFN
architecture for each
antenna tile
Cascaded OBFN for
• :
the total antenna with
N tiles
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
16x1 OBFN with
Optical Resonator
Rings for sub-arrays
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10. SP6 : Global Airport Connectivity
Integrated testing with
SESAR in Toulouse
Airport
Wireless Cable
Vendor
Vendor
Network
Network
Vehicle
Asset Tracking
Data Services
ADS-B
Station
ATCT
Security
DAL to be defined
(C/D)
WiMax
Core
WAN
WAN
Virtual
ATCT
16 ATC and 43 AOC
and a number of other
services
WiMax
Core
LCGS
ASR
Vehicle
VOR
ASR
IEEE 802.16e
dedicated C Band
( 5091-5150 )
ADS-B
Station
RTR/RCAG
Credits C-Band Airport Surface
CCommunications and NASA GRC CNS
Testbed Plans
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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11. SANDRA Trials, Overall View
ATRA (Advanced Technology Research Aircraft) DLR‘s A320
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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12. SANDRA Trials, Airborne Side
SP3 – Seamless Networking
ATS & AOC Applications
APC Applications
SP4 – Integrated Modular Radio
VoIP
HTTP
CPDLC
FTP
ACARS
…
VoIP
…
SP5 – Integrated Antenna System
Analogue
audio
SP6 – AeroMACS
Adaptation Layer
TCP/UDP
TCP/UDP
Integrated Modular Radio
TP4
IPv6
IPv4
CLNP
802.3
802.3
802.3
Only Project
Demonstrated
Waveforms
showed
Analogue audio VHF
OSI Router
Interoperability with ATN/OSI
and IPv4 through tunnelling,
airborne or on-ground gateways,
legacy OSI router, etc.
IPv6 Router(s)
AeroMACS
AeroMACS
BGAN
Ku
IPv6
802.3
OSI/IPv6 over VDL2
VDL2
802.3
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
Hybrid SatCom
Antenna
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13. Status of the Project after 1 Year
Technical results are coming in line with the planning
Global Requirements set up
Global Network Architecture Drafted ->Detail work on single aspects is starting
together with prototype definition
Integrated Reconfigurable Radio Architecture defined now prototype are
starting development
AeroMACS profile defined in line with expectation-> Prototypes are now
starting development together with advanced simulations
Some issues encountered with the integrated KU/L antenna. The technology
needed will be available in 2-3 years so descoped to Ku Only antenna.
Considering candidates for SANDRA Advisory Board (interested ?)
Preparing a SANDRA User Forum before the summer (interested ?)
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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14. End of Presentation
sandra-admin@selex-comms.com
www.sandra.aero
SANDRA - Seamless Aeronautical Networking through Integration of Data links, Radios, and Antennas
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