Description

Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) is a runway safety tool. With ASSC, both controllers and pilots with ADS-B In and cockpit displays see aircraft and ground vehicles on the airport surface, and on approach and departure paths within a few miles of the airport.

ASSC improves surface surveillance and situational awareness in all kinds of weather. ASSC is similar to a prior system deployed in the U.S. called the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X).

The ASSC system receives input from:

• ASDE-3 surface movement radar
• ASSC multilateration remote units
• ADS-B
• Airport Surveillance Radar/Mode-S
• Terminal automation for the flight plan data

ASSC fuses this data to produce a highly accurate display for controllers to show aircraft and ground vehicles on the surface movement area, and on arrival and departure routes. Pilots with TIS-B and cockpit displays can also receive ASSC data. This data is also transmitted to other FAA systems, including Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), SWIM, and Runway Status Lights.

Benefits

• Helps prevent runway collisions
• Improves situational awareness
• Covers airport from arrival through departure paths within a few miles of the airport
• Correlates flight-plan information with position displays
• Provides surveillance data with an accuracy and update rate suitable for:
  • Situational awareness in all weather conditions
  • Departure queuing
  • Conflict detection and alerts
  • Taxi route conformance monitoring

Related articles

• Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X)
• Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS)

Further Reading

• Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC), external link