ACSS, an L-3 & Thales Company, announced today that it has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization from the FAA for the NXT-600™ Mode S Transponder. The NXT-600 meets the requirements for the ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out) mandates taking effect in some parts of the world beginning this year.

Bombardier Aerospace and Thales Canada, Aerospace have selected the new NXT-600 Mode S Transponder for integration into Thales' avionics suite installed on the Bombardier™ Q400™ NextGen™ aircraft.

ACSS's NXT-600 is a small, lightweight transponder ideal for regional and business aircraft, including helicopters. The NXT-600 is DO-260B- and DO-181E-compliant to meet CASA's 2014 mandate, EUROCONTROL's 2015 mandate and the 2020 FAA NextGen Air Transportation System mandate for ADS-B Out capability. The NXT-600 complements other cockpit surveillance equipment on the Q400 NextGen aircraft, including the ACSS TCAS 3000SP™ Surveillance Processor.

“ACSS has been a pioneer in the development of ADS-B products for commercial and military aircraft,” said Terry Flaishans, president of ACSS. “With global mandates for ADS-B Out upon us, it was critical that we deliver our next-generation transponder to meet NextGen and SESAR airspace requirements.”

As the cornerstone technology of the FAA's NextGen and EUROCONTROL's SESAR airspace initiatives, ADS-B increases capacity and throughput for air transportation, providing more precise position information of own-ship and other airplane traffic to the cockpit.

Optimized for flight in the next-generation air traffic environment, the NXT-600 and NXT-800™ (4 MCU) transponders broadcast own-ship flight parameters to other aircraft and air traffic control (ATC). The higher level of ADS-B Out (DO-260B) transmission provides more precise flight data, including position, speed and intent of the aircraft. Benefits of ADS-B Out include reduced flight times, reduced fuel consumption, increased airspace capacity and higher-quality air traffic surveillance, resulting in improved air safety. Certification of the NXT-800 is expected later this year.