Government Security News April May 2015

DOT Secretary Foxx announces NextGen
En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation
Secretary Anthony
Foxx today announced a significant
NextGen milestone with the
completion of En Route Automation
Modernization (ERAM), a
highly advanced computer system
used by air traffic controllers
to safely manage high-altitude
traffic.
“Looking at the future of air
travel, we know that there will
be more planes in our skies and
more people in our airports, and
in order to meet this challenge we
must integrate cutting-edge technology
into our aviation system,”
said Secretary Foxx. “ERAM is a
major step forward in our relentless
efforts to develop and implement
NextGen. With this new
technology, passengers will be
able to get to their destinations,
faster, safer, and have a smoother
ride – all while burning less fuel
to get there.”
ERAM is the backbone
of operations at 20 of the Federal
Aviation Administration’s
(FAA’s) en route air traffic control
centers. The system, a crucial
foundation for NextGen, drives
display screens used by air traffic
controllers to safely manage and
separate aircraft.
“ERAM gives us a big boost
in technological horsepower over
the system it replaces,” said FAA
Administrator Michael Huerta.
“This computer system enables
each controller to handle more
aircraft over a larger area, resulting
in increased safety, capacity,
and efficiency.”
The first ERAM system went
online at Salt Lake City Center in
March 2012. The final installation
was completed last month at
New York Center.
ERAM uses nearly two million
lines of computer code to
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process critical data for controllers,
including aircraft identity,
altitude, speed, and flight path.
The system almost doubles the
number of flights that can be
tracked and displayed to controllers.
ERAM was designed to be
the operating platform for other
NextGen technologies, including:
• Performance Based Navigation
(PBN): Controllers are already
using ERAM to make use
of Performance Based Navigation
(PBN) procedures that enable
controllers and flight crews
to know exactly when to reduce
the thrust on aircraft, allowing
them to descend from cruising
altitude to the runway with the
engines set at idle power, saving
on flying time and fuel consumption.
• Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-
B): The FAA is moving steadily
toward replacing the old system
of ground-based radars to
track aircraft with one that relies
on satellite-based technologies.
ERAM already receives informa-
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