The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Thales have signed an agreement to conduct research and development (R&D) for an Open ATM System architecture of the future. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the World ATM Congress in Madrid.

It follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the two organisations in February 2018 to cooperate on developing new concepts of operations for ATM as well as the next generation of ATM technologies.

Under the research collaboration agreement, CAAS and Thales will work together over the next 20 months to design and develop the Open ATM System architecture, with a view to achieving a shift in operational capabilities and robustness. Since an open architecture is modular, scalable and supplier agnostic, it is seen as offering greater flexibility, allowing new ATM innovations to be integrated at an accelerated pace.

Most commercial ATM systems need to take into consideration the compatibility and complexity arising from the integration with third party ATM systems. An open architecture would provide more flexibility and ease for integration of the required modifications and changes in a multi-ATM suppliers or systems architecture.

Kevin Shum, Director-General, CAAS, observes that an Open ATM System architecture will be a cornerstone of Singapore’s future ATM system, allowing Singapore to respond at an accelerated pace to changes in the aviation landscape.