Engineers in Brno, Czech Republic have developed a new warning system aimed at reducing aircraft collision risk on runways. The SURF-A system was created at Honeywell Aerospace’s Czech branch and is designed to detect potential hazards on the runway in advance and warn pilots.
How SURF-A works
According to specialists, SURF-A does not take over control of the aircraft. Its role is limited to timely informing the pilot about possible danger. The warning logic is two-stage:
- first, a visual alert appears on the cockpit display;
- as the distance between aircraft decreases, an audible alarm is activated.
The technology is based on the ADS-B system, which enables vehicles to transmit information about their positions to each other. For installing the software there is no need for major modifications in the cockpit; connecting a single short cable is reported to be sufficient.
Deployment plans
Mexico’s Aeroméxico airline plans to install the SURF-A system on more than 100 Boeing 737 aircraft. At the Phoenix airport in the United States, the technology is planned to be adapted to warn drivers of ground service vehicles about potential hazards.
The relevance of such systems is underlined by the January 2024 accident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, where an Airbus A350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, resulting in five fatalities.
Source: AZƏRTAC (az)
