After the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 2019, all aircraft that fly in U.S. airspace anywhere transponders are required must carry equipment that meets the FAA’s automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B OUT) standard. The ADS-B OUT mandate is part not only of the FAA’s but many other countries’ plans to replace inaccurate and expensive radar surveillance systems with highly accurate, GPS-based ADS-B, which reports aircraft position, velocity and identification information to air traffic controllers and other aircraft.

The European mandate kicks in June 8, 2016, for new aircraft and June 7, 2020, for retrofit installations. Other countries, notably in Asia, have already begun implementing ADS-B OUT requirements for aircraft flying on certain routes and at certain altitudes, so business jets traveling in those areas need ADS-B equipment sooner rather than later.

L-3 Avionics Products is highlighting its ADS-B equipment at Booth 3016, including the ACSS NXT-800 and NXT-600 ADS-B OUT transponders. Both are compliant with the applicable RTCA DO-181E standards, which apply in the U.S. and Europe. This year, L-3 also introduced its new Lynx ADS-B OUT products for piston aircraft, turboprops and light jets. Installation of the Lynx will be easier because it includes an ADS-B rule-compliantGPSposition source in a single box. The Lynx will also use existing antennas and wiring, further simplifying theinstallation.

FAA officials are worried that the pace of retrofit ADS-B installations is lagging and that there will be a massive traffic jam at installation centers as the deadlines approach. “We encourage business jet operators to get their upgrades in place for ADS-B OUT,” said Shane LaPlante, vice president of aftermarket sales for ACSS and L-3 Aviation Products, “because they’ll need to take the aircraft out of service for installation. In most cases, the upgraded mode-S transponder installations require new wiring between the GPS sensor and the transponder for retrofit aircraft.”