Florence, 14th November 2013 – SANDRA FP7 project’s results have been presented and discussed with aeronautical industry stakeholders during SANDRA Final User Forum, hosted by Selex ES on the 14th of November, in “Il Fuligno”, a beautiful and historical location in the historical center of Florence (Italy).
SANDRA (Seamless Aeronautical Networking through integration of Data links Radios and Antennas) is a large aeronautical research project, with 29 partners and a budget of 24 Meuro, partially funded by the EC, aiming at demonstrating in-flight an innovative multi-link communication system based on Internet Protocol and on a flexible and modular avionics architecture, enabling new Air Transport Management (ATM) services which envisage the exchange of vast amount of data, along with other communications required by other aircraft domains such as Airline communications and passenger communications.
This second and final User Forum event,has been a success: more than 50 people attended the event, from all industry sectors: Aeronautical Navigation Service Providers, Communication Service Providers, Regulators, Airlines, Airport operators, Airframe manufacturers, Avionic integrators and suppliers, Research Centers and Universities. Among the others: AIRBUS, Alenia Aermacchi, Alitalia, ATConsulting, Dassault Aviation, DFS Deutche Flugsicherung GmbH, ENAV, Eurocontrol, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Honeywell, Indra, Intecs,, Monitor Soft Ltd., National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, SEA Milan Airports, Selex ES, SESAR JU, SITA, Slot Consulting, TELESPAZIO, Thales, Thales Alenia Space , Thales UK, TriaGnoSys, University of Bradford, University of Florence, University of Pisa, University of Salzburg.
Project results impact and exploitation perspective have been discussed during a dedicated User Panel roundtable with leading experts representing relevant stakeholder’s in aeronautical communications: Nicolaos Fistas (Eurocontrol), Armin Schlereth (DFS), Michele Carandente (ENAV), Frederic Durand (SITA), Stephane Tamalet (Airbus), Stephane Gouverneur (Dassault Aviation), Paolo Drago (Alitalia), Paolo Sordi (SEA Malpensa/Linate Airport).
The EU FP7 project SANDRA started in 2009, aimed at designing, developing and demonstrating within its four years duration, an innovative integrated aircraft communication system. The project, leaded by Selex ES, a Finmeccanica company, has 29 partners: German Aerospace Center (DLR), Thales Alenia Space, Thales Aerospace UK, Thales Avionics, Thales Research and Technologies UK, Airtel ATN, Acreo, Alenia Aeronautica, Altys, Bradford University, Cyner, Dassault Aviation, Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), EADS Innovation Works France, Gatehouse, IMST, Intecs, INRIA, Lionix, Monitorsoft, NLR, RadioLabs, SITA, Slot Consulting, TriaGnoSys, University of Twente, University of Pisa, Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg.
Aeronautical communication future evolution trends and SANDRA project concepts and preliminary results can be found in the open access book “Future Aeronautical Communications” accessible for free on www.intechweb.org, published in 2011. While most of the project results will be made available through project public deliverables downloadable on www.sandra.aero after these will be approved by the European Commission and through more than 50 technical papers which have been presented by partners at conferences and journals.
Download the presentations of the User Forum here, or see the image gallery of the event here.