Alternative Sources for Extended Projected Profile Data for the Connected Aircraft

As air navigation service providers (ANSPs) move towards sustainability goals with trajectory-based operations (TBO), the need for and use of aircraft-provided information for augmenting ground-based flight data processing are increasing. Different types of aircraft data are used for different aspects of operational efficiency, from the aircraft’s sensed data to flight management system (FMS) calculations for trajectory prediction data. Notably, Europe is mandating the use of Extended Projected Profile (EPP) data, a reporting subset of the Baseline 2 (B2) Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) application, by the end of 2027 for both aircraft and ANSP ground systems. In fact, B2 is already in operational use at the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre, and has provided important initial operational insights and benefits. As other ANSPs equip with similar capability to use EPP data, broader benefits are expected to be realized.However, there are some potential limitations to the further expansion of EPP usage. Although forward-fit aircraft will be required to equip with B2 while operating in Europe after 2027, it will be some time before there is a significant percentage of B2 equipped aircraft in operation. Additionally, since the aircraft FMS processing requirements for B2 are high, a retrofit solution may not be practical depending on the aircraft type (indeed, the B2 mandate will only apply to forward-fit aircraft). This means that benefits of EPP data will be slower to be attained since fewer aircraft are equipped. Furthermore, B2 is complex to implement on the ground, requiring the implementation of the ADS-C application to manage contracts with aircraft and receive data. The ADS-C application was not part of the previous European data link mandate.This paper will review the operational needs, from a ground perspective, for the types of data that are desired from an aircraft. B2 EPP is a useful and well-defined common format for data, but given the processing requirements, it may not be feasible to implement for a large number of existing aircraft. On many aircraft, much of the same data as contained in EPP is readily available from existing systems. Various data sources on-board the aircraft that provide similar data as EPP will be detailed, including existing messaging that is widely available. Access to on-board systems that can be used to obtain and convey data to the ground by other means will also be explored. This capability is particularly relevant to the emerging Connected Aircraft capability, which provides enhanced communications paths and flexible processing between aircraft and ground systems. This "EPP-like" data will be analyzed and presented within the context of typical flight profiles. Ground architectures will also be discussed, including concepts of common data servers, and how those might be leveraged to support EPP-like data while easing implementation requirements on the ground side. Using EPP-like data in a Connected Aircraft paradigm would result in the participation of many more aircraft capable of providing EPP-like information, allow aircraft that otherwise may not be able to be upgraded to B2 to provide EPP-like data, deliver significant cost savings in equipping aircraft and ground systems, and accelerate the many benefits of TBO.