L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) activities in SESAR2020

Air traffic management communication shall transition from analog VHF voice communication to more spectrum efficient digital data communication. In Europe this transition shall be realized, among others, by the development and implementation of the L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS). The objective of this paper is to provide a status report on the current progress of LDACS research and development within SESAR2020. In particular, we present the objectives of SESAR2020 project “PJ.14-02-01 FCI Terrestrial Data Link”, the proposed LDACS high-level architecture, the planned technical validation exercises, and the status of the ongoing LDACS standardization activities: The objective of the SESAR2020 project is to develop fully functional LDACS prototypes and to use them for validation of the air interface requirements and the support of the ATN IPS infrastructure. The LDACS architecture has been defined as a complete set of network functions needed to provide radio access to an LDACS subscriber i.e. an aircraft. LDACS standardization is currently under way in ICAO and is planned to start in EUROCAE later this year.