ACSS, an L-3 & Thales Company, announced today that ATR has selected the new NXT-600™ Mode S Transponder for installation on the ATR 42/72-600 aircraft. The NXT-600 is a small, lightweight transponder ideal for regional and corporate aircraft, including helicopters.

The NXT-600 is DO-260B- and DO-181E-compliant to meet EUROCONTROL's and the FAA's NextGen mandates for ADS-B Out capability. The NXT-600 complements other cockpit surveillance equipment on the 600 Series, including the ACSS T2CAS®.

“ATR and ACSS have maintained a strong relationship for many years,” said Terry Flaishans, president of ACSS. “ATR certified our T2CAS for the ATR-500 and -600, which integrates seamlessly with our NXT-600 next-generation transponder. We are excited to continue our partnership with ATR and help them be one of the first to market with a DO-260B-compliant transponder.”

As the cornerstone technology of the FAA's NextGen and EUROCONTROL's Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (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 NextGen air traffic environment, the NXT-600 and NXT-800™ (4 MCU) transponders transmit own-ship flight parameters to other aircraft and air traffic control (ATC). The higher level of ADS-B Out (DO-260B) transmission includes precise flight data, including position, speed and intent of the aircraft.

In the NextGen air traffic environment, ADS-B Out information can be used in the cockpit for ADS-B In, which delivers even more capabilities through products such as ACSS's SafeRoute®. Applications include SafeRoute-Interval Management (IM), In-Trail Procedures (ITP), CDTI Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) and Surface Area Movement Management (SAMM). These optional capabilities are certified and operating today on A330, B757 and B767 aircraft. 

Deliveries of the NXT-600 for the production ATRs are expected to begin by the end of 2014 and will provide substantial aftermarket opportunities for ATR retrofits.