A recent FAA Advisory Circular (AC) makes reference to a new generation of collision-avoidance technology. The AC opens the door to address the operational use of upgraded tools for avoiding air traffic collisions.
ACAS is the generic term used when referring to collision avoidance systems in the Code of Federal Regulations and in the international aviation community at large. According to Richard Boll, chair of the NBAA Domestic Operations Committee, Airspace and Flight Technologies Subcommittee, the existing TCAS system is poised to be replaced by the more sophisticated ACAS X system, a generation of software capable of evaluating threats and, through a Monte Carlo simulation, rapidly process hundreds of potential scenarios to determine which option is the least costly, lowest risk and most efficient option to avoid a collision.
The NBAA statement clarifies that ACAS X technology is not currently mandatory. However, it predicts this new software will be introduced over the next few years.
