Air-Ground Communications: History and Expectations

The development of civil and related military air-ground communications in the United States is traced from its beginning in the late 1920's to the present time. The alternative methods of information exchange between the ground and aircraft, radar beacon transponders, and digital communications are reviewed from their conceptual identification to their current state of development. An estimate is made of the probability of implementation of the discrete address beacon system (DABS) and the RTCA endorsed universal data link.