Company Now Can Update A320 Airliners

EASA has granted an STC to GKN Aerospace for the ADS-B Out modification for the Airbus A320 family.

GKN Aerospace’s Fokker business has obtained the STC from EASA for the introduction of the ADS-B Out modification on the Airbus A320 fleet. Last year Fokker was selected by SmartLynx, Latvia for the ADS-B Out installation on its A320 fleet.

After having obtained the STC’s for the Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft last year, Fokker is now introducing upgrades or new ATC Transponders for the Airbus A320. New Transponders are a form-fit replacement for legacy Transponders which need to be replaced. In the meantime, Fokker has also applied for the FAA STC which is expected within a few months.

ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast) is a common system on-board many aircraft that automatically broadcasts relevant data from the aircraft towards air traffic management organizations. ADS-B Out data includes the identity of the aircraft, the GPS location and direction of flight. A new ADS-B Out system will become mandatory in 2020 in Europe and the USA. The new ADS-B Out mandate involves an upgrade or replacement of two major cockpit systems: the ATC Transponder and GPS Receiver. This will enable optimization of the airspace and minimize the use of ground radar stations. In the next decade, most of the airspace throughout the globe will be using ADS-B as the primary means of surveillance, replacing radar. This will include the oceanic environment (Satellite ADS-B).

"We are pleased to have obtained the STC for ADS-B Out modification with the new Transponders," said Erik Lous, Product Manager ADS-B Out at Fokker Services. "This will allow customers to modify the aircraft with a minimum of downtime. The STC was obtained in the shortest possible time thanks to our engineering team, our airworthiness department and support by EASA. The lessons learned in this project are a solid basis for our other ADS-B out certification projects for a wide range of aircraft types, both regional as well as other aircraft types."

(Image provided with GKN Aerospace news release)

FMI: www.gkn.com/en/our-divisions/gkn-aerospace