AFFSA Letter-Fiber Optic Transport Equip for ATCALS.pdf
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- Crash Phone Fiber Optic Converters
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About this file
This memorandum from the Department of the Air Force Headquarters Air Force Flight Standards Agency establishes requirements for standardized fiber optic transport equipment to support Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATCALS) at Air Force bases. The Air Force Flight Standards Agency identified critical operational interruptions caused by degraded copper connectivity and legacy "channel banks" that consistently fail, are beyond their life cycle, and lack logistical support. These failures have compromised flight safety communication, remote maintenance capabilities, flight inspection scheduling, and equipment status visibility during low visibility and severe weather conditions.
The memorandum specifies that TC Communications' TC8000 series fiber optic transport and TC3800 series JumboSwitch equipment has been selected as the required solution following extensive research and fielding at multiple bases. The equipment must support connectivity for Instrument Landing System (ILS), Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN), VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR)/VORTAC, Air Traffic Control tower, Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) facility, Ground Air Transmit Receive (GATR) site, and Enhanced Terminal Voice Switch (ETVS). Key requirements include USA manufacturing and assembly, Trade Agreements Act compliance, minimum five-year warranty, technical support, on-site or factory training, ISO 9001 certification, modular and scalable circuit cards, industrial-grade operation in austere conditions, Radio over IP technology with uncompressed 64 kbps audio per channel supporting up to 28 channels per chassis, AC/DC power redundancy with international power support, fiber path redundancy failover capability, and self-healing ring topology networking. TC Communications is the sole manufacturer; approved distributors are Noble Supply, R&H Electric, Sterling Computers, and Logistics 365 Inc. Questions should be directed to Mr. Ryan Norwood at the Air Force Flight Standards Agency.
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Text version
DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE FLIGHT STANDARDS AGENCY
10 June 2020
MEMORANDUM FOR 355 OSS/OSAM
FROM: HQ AFFSA/AFETS
5316 Douglas Blvd Bldg 8400 Rm 232 Oklahoma City OK 73150
SUBJECT: Required Fiber Optic Transport Equipment Supporting Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATCALS)
1. Currently ATCALS is utilizing degraded copper connectivity and/or using legacy fiber optic transport equipment, commonly known as “channel banks” within our community. This transport equipment consistently fails, is well beyond its life cycle and is no longer logistically supported.
Due to the repeated interruptions to ATC operations, a standardized solution that can support all equipment in the ATCALS program portfolio is required.
2. Critical interruptions to ATC operations and maintenance include:
a. Failure to communicate with aircraft on approach, critically impacting safety of flight.
b. Loss of remote capability from regional maintenance centers affecting restoral efforts.
c. Extended/rescheduled flight inspections causing excessive fuel and travel costs.
d. Loss of equipment status of airfield navigation and landing systems to ATC controllers
(1) No status of ATCALS during low visibility and severe weather conditions
(2) Inability to switch runway navigation equipment during in-flight emergencies
3. HQ AFFSA is establishing a requirement to standardize the fiber optic transport equipment used to support the connectivity for ATCALS, to include:
a. Instrument Landing System (ILS)
b. Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN)
c. VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR)/Tactical Air Navigational System (VORTAC)
d. Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower
e. Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) facility
f. Ground Air Transmit Receive (GATR) site
g. Enhanced Terminal Voice Switch (ETVS)
4. After much research and fielding these units at several bases already, the TC8000 series fiber optic transport and TC3800 series JumboSwitch equipment manufactured by TC Communications provides the required solution. It meets all requirements for interconnectivity over fiber optics and postures our systems for eventual migration to the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN).
5. Requirements include:
a. Manufactured and assembled in the USA
b. Meets TAA Compliance (Buy American Act)
c. Minimum five year warranty (up to 10 years available)
d. Technical Support
e. Training either on-site or factory
f. Reputable (over 20 years in business)
g. ISO 9001 certified
h. Modular, Interchangeable, Scalable and Expandable circuit cards
i. Industrial applicability (can operate in austere conditions)
j. Technology uses Radio over IP (ROIP) not Voice over IP (VOIP)
k. Audio is not compressed, 64 kbps per channel, up to 28 channels per chassis
l. Provides AC/DC power redundancy and supports international power requirements
m. Provides fiber path redundancy (failover) in a point-to-point configuration
n. Can be networked supporting a “self-healing” ring topology
6. TC Communications is the sole manufacturer of this equipment, however they are not the sole distributor. Any reseller or distributor can only buy the equipment through TC Communications.
Approved Distributors:
a. Noble Supply: Victor Harris vharris@noble.com 256-343-3747 or Brian Kuhar bkuhar@noble.com 843-607-7706
b. R&H Electric: Vince Burt vinceburt.rh@gmail.com 334-655-1060
c. Sterling Computers: Don Strifler don.strifler@sterlingcomputers.com 757-788-1784
d. Logistics 365 Inc.: Jason Strand Jason@logistics365.com 402-347-1020
7. Please direct any questions to Mr. Ryan Norwood at ryan.norwood.1@us.af.mil DSN 312-884- 8432 or Comm (405) 734-8432.
RYAN G. NORWOOD, GS-12, DAF
Lead, AF Engineering & Tech Services Air Force Flight Standards Agency mailto:vharris@noble.com mailto:bkuhar@noble.com mailto:vinceburt.rh@gmail.com mailto:don.strifler@sterlingcomputers.com mailto:Jason@logistics365.com mailto:ryan.norwood.1@us.af.mil
| 10 June 2020 |
| MEMORANDUM FOR 355 OSS/OSAM |
| 2020-06-10T14:12:00-0500 | |
| NORWOOD.RYAN.GRAY.1106944322 |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .