Broadband VHF (B-VHF) Project Achievements And Follow-on Activities

The B-VHF research project of the European Commission developed a concept for a multi-carrier aeronautical communications system intended to be preferably deployed within the aeronautical VHF COM band. Recently, some companies from the former B-VHF consortium were tasked by EUROCONTROL to investigate within the framework of the Future Communications Study (FCS) the possibility to deploy and operate a B-VHF-like system in the aeronautical L-band. This paper gives a review of the B-VHF project objectives, achievements and the main characteristics of the technical B-VHF system. Moreover, it provides an outlook on the adaptation of B-VHF to the L-band, based on "lessons learned" during the B-VHF project.