Report on first supplemental type certification for VDL mode 3 digital voice operation

VDL mode 3 is a digital TDMA communications system developed by the FAA and industry partners as a replacement for the existing 25 kHz analog AM systems currently used for VHF aeronautical communications. VDL mode 3 provides increased channel capacity and security for both voice and data link communications. This paper provides a report on the first supplemental type certification (STC) recently issued for production ready and FAA TSO approved VDL mode 3 avionics.