ERA has extended its surface surveillance multilateration system at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. The customer and end user, Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), accepted the SAT procedure of the first phase of planned extension and thus the enhanced system has gone fully operational. ERA is currently getting ready to start the second phase of its extension and modernization.
In 2017 ERA installed its MLAT system as part of the A-SGMCS system for the airport in Seoul, which covers not only the airport area but also 20 nautical miles of TMA. ERA was contracted by IIAC again last year to extend the coverage of the airport premises due the construction of the airport's fourth runway, new cargo terminal and a number of new aprons. To meet the requirements, ERA delivered a dozen new Ground Stations of its tried and tested system NEO using ERA's original and unique central time architecture; the number of GS has increased by one quarter. The modernization of several Central Processing Stations including new servers was also part of the task. ERA cooperated on the project with a local Korean partner, the company HIST (Hanjin Information Systems & Telecommunications Co., LTD.). The second phase of the extension, including the upgrade of the used software, will start in June 2023. The entire project is planned to continue for another 19 months.
The system, which is functioning flawlessly at Incheon airport, is a great example of using ERA innovative passive surveillance solutions in Air Traffic Management. The original Incheon project is clearly remembered among ERA experts as an important milestone in ERA technological development due to its pioneering use of then introduced NEO system, an enhanced version of the ERA traditional product MSS (Multilateration Surveillance System) combining the technology of multilateration, e. g. passive surveillance, with ADS-B sensors. The ERA MSS/NEO system is designed in accordance with all EuroControl standards and as such is used all over the world as part of ATM and ATC solutions ensuring the safety of air traffic.
