Data Link Technology Characterization for NEWSKY Aeronautical Communication Network

This paper presents a review and characterization of possible data link technologies for cockpit and cabin communications. This work was done in the context of the NEWSKY project which aims at defining an integrated network based on IPv6 protocol, supporting both cockpit and cabin communications over different data sub-networks. The objective here is to characterize the data link technologies that could be interfaced with such a network and to define some high level categories gathering technologies with common characteristics. These categories are defined as the NEWSKY network should be interfaceable with a large range of data link technologies (current but also future technologies). For this purpose, a deep review of candidate technologies for cabin and cockpit applications is performed and presented in this paper.