Design of a low complexity channel filter satisfying LDACS1 spectral mask specifications for air-to-ground communication

Modernization of the existing air traffic management systems is currently under way to support the sustained air traffic growth worldwide. A new standard called L-band Digital Aeronautical Communication System (LDACS) is being developed for air-ground communications, which aims to facilitate improved aeronautical communications in the next generation air traffic management systems. LDACS type 1 (LDACS1), a broadband system based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, is the most promising and mature candidate for LDACS. The channel filter in a LDACS1 receiver must be designed with a stringent spectral mask to avoid interference from the adjacent Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) channels as well as the neighboring LDACS1 channels. In this paper, we present the design of a low complexity channel filter for LDACS1. Design of the proposed channel filter is based on the frequency response masking technique. When compared with the conventional channel filter design approach, the proposed channel filter offers 74.26% savings in multiplication complexity and 17% reduction in group delay.