Tag Archives: Aviation

U.S. aviation, telecom industries report progress over 5G safety talks

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The aviation and telecom industries said Wednesday they were making progress to address air safety concerns about potential interference from the planned Jan. 5 5G wireless deployment.

Wireless trade group CTIA, Airlines for America and Aerospace Industries Association said in a joint statement “after productive discussions we will be working together to share the available data from all parties to identify the specific areas of concern for aviation.”

Last week, airlines said interference from 5G networks could cause 4% of U.S. flights to be diverted, delayed or canceled.

“The best technical experts from across both industries will be working collectively to identify a path forward, in coordination” with the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the statement said.

“By working collaboratively in good faith on a data-driven solution, we can achieve our shared goal of deploying 5G while preserving aviation safety,” the groups added.

AT&T and Verizon Communications are moving forward with plans to deploy C-Band spectrum 5G wireless in about two weeks that they won in an $80 billion auction.

Both the aviation industry and FAA have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters.

The FAA said it was encouraged that aviation manufacturers and wireless companies “are taking steps to test how dozens of radio altimeters will perform in the high-powered 5G environment envisioned for the United States.”

It added it will work “to make sure the testing provides adequate safety margins and accounts for the variety of safety systems that rely on accurate information from radio altimeters.”

The FAA this month issued airworthiness directives warning 5G interference could result in flight diversions.

Hoping to avoid any deployment issues, the groups have been holding talks to share data on U.S. airports, including base station locations, power levels and antenna positioning, as well altimeter data, that could potentially be impacted.

On Monday, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Airbus Americas CEO Jeffrey Knittel urged the Biden administration to delay the 5G deployment.

Airlines for America has said if the FAA 5G directive had been in effect in 2019, about 345,000 passenger flights and 5,400 cargo flights would have faced delays, diversions or cancellations.

In November, AT&T and Verizon delayed commercial launch of C-band wireless service by a month until Jan. 5 and adopted precautionary measures to limit interference.

Aviation industry groups said that was insufficient. The aviation industry made a counterproposal that would limit cellular transmissions around airports and other critical areas.

Wireless industry group CTIA said 5G is safe and the spectrum is being used in about 40 other countries. It has previously accused the aviation industry of fearmongering and distorting facts.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

German military aviation command launches cyber threat initiative

A German Air Force piolt poses inside the cockpit of an Airbus A400M military aircraft at the ILA Berlin Air Show in Schoenefeld, south of Berlin, Germany, June 1, 2016. Picture taken with a fish-eye lens. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German military’s aviation safety chief has launched a new initiative against cyber threats, citing research that he said shows hackers can commandeer military airplanes with the help of equipment that costs about 5,000 euros ($5,700).

A defense ministry spokesman told Reuters that development of new “aviation cyber expertise” would cover everything from raising consciousness about cyber threats to technical research projects and equipping aircraft with protective systems.

State Secretary Katrin Suder had backed the idea, which Major General Ansgar Rieks, head of the German Military Aviation Authority, proposed in a letter in June, the spokesman said.

Rieks said last week that he was unnerved by a demonstration by the government-funded German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bavaria showing hackers could take control of an aircraft with inexpensive equipment.

“That frightens me. I wrote to the state secretary about it and said doing nothing would amount to gross negligence,” he said at a talk at a conference in Bueckeburg, Germany. He said the issue was also a vital concern for civil aviation.

He said military officials needed to focus not just on potential problems with computer software, but should also work to “ensure that airplanes cannot be taken over from the ground, or possibly by a passenger in the air”.

A spokesman for the DLR, which has studied aviation cyber security extensively, had no immediate comment on the issue.

Germany’s military this year launched a new cyber command that groups cyber units from across the military, which will also involved in the new aviation cyber initiative.

Cyber resilience – making sure that systems can survive a cyber attack and keep functioning – was a major topic during a conference at Bundeswehr University Munich last month, the DLR spokesman said.

Germany’s military is also working on the aviation cyber issue within the European Union and NATO, he said.

Concerns about cyber attacks on aircraft and in the broader aviation sector have grown sharply in recent years with a growing barrage of attacks and breaches against other sectors.

Many experts fear that the aviation industry has not kept pace with the threat hackers pose to increasingly computer-connected airplanes.

Rapid adoption of communication protocols similar to those used on the internet to connect cockpits, cabins and ground controls, have left air traffic open to vulnerabilities bedevilling other sectors such as finance and oil and gas.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Dos, don’ts and geo-fencing: Europe proposes rules for small drones

A drone flies as Belgian police officers showcase the use of drones deployed over traffic accidents occurring on highways, in Ranst near Antwerp, Belgium, January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BERLIN (Reuters) – Europe’s aviation safety authorities have proposed rules for operating small drones that include requirements for geo-fencing technology to prevent them from straying into banned areas and a “dos and don’ts” leaflet to be inserted in retail packaging.

With demand booming, both for hobby and commercial use, European regulators have been looking for ways to ensure drones can be safely operated, while allowing the industry to grow.

Fears have been raised over the use of drones near airports in particular, with a number of pilots reporting near collisions with drones, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has set up a task force to look into the risk of drone strikes.

EASA’s proposals include requirements for drones to be remotely identifiable, to be fitted with geo-fencing technology to prevent them from entering prohibited zones such as airports and nuclear sites, and a requirement for people operating drones weighing more than 250 grams to register themselves.

EASA hopes such measures will address privacy concerns, as well as safety risks.

The design requirements for small drones will be implemented using the CE product legislation commonly used across Europe.

Along with the CE marking, drones will be identified according to their class, and a “dos and don’ts” leaflet will be in all product boxes.

“Based on the drone class, an operator will know in which area he can operate and what competence is required,” EASA said in a statement.

The proposal is now open for comment from May 12 until Aug. 12 and EASA will submit its final opinion to the European Commission at the end of 2017.

The regulation of drones weighing less than 150 kg is currently up to individual EU member states, resulting in a fragmented regulatory framework.

Makers of commercial drones include China’s DJI and France’s Parrot <PARRO.PA>.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Mark Potter)