New Airborne Collision Avoidance System Boosts Russia's Tech Independence

Russia's unique airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS) SPSV has successfully undergone tests, lifting the nation to the next level of technological independence and dodging Western sanctions.

The proximity warning system SPSV by Russia's Navigator Company has been tested on the Let L-410 Turbolet, a twin-engine short-range transport aircraft, and is due to be installed on the Sukhoi Superjet 100 type civil planes.

Previously, Navigator Company CEO Sergei Baburov said in an interview with Sputnik that Russia had created its first domestic unique mid-air collision avoidance system for all types of aircraft: Il-96, SJ-100 (Superjet-100), Il-114-300, MS-21, etc. Prior to that, all Russian civil planes were equipped with the ACAS system by the American company Collins, which possesses a global monopoly in the field.

Let L-410 Turbolet

© Photo : Mottld

"The main task of the system, its functionality, [is to prevent collision]: if one plane approaches another at a dangerous distance during the flight, [the system] gives commands which aircraft to send where. One plane goes down; the other goes up to safely disperse. The uniqueness of the system lies, among other things, in the fact that for the first time in Russia such a domestic system has been created, regardless of the supplies of the American company Collins," Viktor Pryadka, aviation expert, CEO of the Alliance of Aviation Technologies Avintel, told Sputnik.

Under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (also known as Rosaviatsiya), flights of aircraft unequipped with ACAS systems are prohibited. At the same time, it has become almost impossible to acquire such systems due to anti-Russian sanctions slapped by the West on Moscow after the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

That's how Western sanctions gave Navigator an opportunity to bring its proximity warning system to the market. SPVS is made according to all international standards and can be integrated with foreign airborne collision avoidance systems.

Per the producer, SPSV is designed and suitable for:

· Crew awareness of air and ground traffic using Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)/Airborne Collision Avoidance System II (ACAS II);

· Air Traffic Control (ATC) secondary radars support;

· Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)/Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) support;

· Providing ground ATC and surrounding aircraft with position information using ADS-B Out technology.

The Russian proximity warning system SPSV's onboard functions include: Airborne collision avoidance (TCAS II); airborne transponder operating in modes А/C/S; automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast ADS-B. According to the manufacturer, SPSV collects data from GNSS, FMS, SINS, Air Data computer systems and shows surrounding traffic, ТА service, and RA recommendations at the airborne display.

An Ilyushin Il-96 Camber jetliner

© Sputnik / Dmitriy Petrochenko

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As per Pryadka, the new system is largely based on domestic components thus substantially reducing Russia's dependence on foreign manufacturers. He noted that Russia's mainline, short-haul, and long-haul aircraft will soon be equipped with the system. "Let's say, Superjet-100, MS21, Il-96-300, on which, among other things, our President [Vladimir Putin] flies," the expert said.

"We remove the issue of deliveries – which are now very difficult – of the western components for the [ACAS] system, and we work independently, at any time we can install [domestic] systems on any aircraft. That is, the competitiveness of our aircraft will increase, since we have our own system that can be installed on aircraft," Pryadka said.

Medium-range airliner MS-21

© Sputnik / Илья Питалев

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He noted that, theoretically, SPSV can also be installed on Russia's military aircraft:

"In military aviation, it can theoretically be used," the expert said. "But here is an important point: when an aircraft is used on the battlefield, then all emitters, electromagnetic and others, must be turned down, because they can work as a source for aiming enemy missiles at our aircraft. Therefore, only those systems that are necessary for air combat are used."

© Sputnik

Pryadka expects that Collins will retain its leadership on the world market over the next 10 years. However, the expert suggested that Russia's SPSV can be supplied for aircraft within BRICS, a group of major economies. As BRICS expands, it offers a large market for Russian producers, including those making new efficient aviation systems, according to the expert.

Pryadka noted that the SPSV is not the only example of Russia's shift to the domestic component base. Little-by-little, the country is replacing sophisticated Western tech products with Russian-made equipment and software. Fortunately, Russia has the industrial and scientific base as well as experience and expertise to make its own technological leap to catch up or outperform its foreign peers.