Support to Air Traffic Management Equipment

The Challenge

The challenge faced for maritime ATM equipment is that the Defence Standard (Def Stan 00-972) for the equipment is based upon Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirements for airfield equipment and has not been tailored for the different circumstances of MoD Ships. Applying the regulations and standards can be challenging without specialist knowledge of Air Safety/ATM requirements and DE&S processes for acquiring and supporting ship equipment.

The ultimate goal is to provide a ‘Safe to Operate’ argument that the equipment is both safe and fit for purpose.

Our Solution

We have supported our clients with specialist advice and support at all stages of the acquisition and in-service support of ship ATM equipment. We have contributed to/or delivered the fundamental outputs necessary to support the ‘Safe to Operate’ and ‘Operate Safely’ arguments. These outputs are summarised by the following three critical tasks.

• Requirements Definition: We identified the applicability of requirements levied on ATM systems through existing Defence Standards. We often identify and highlight applicable requirements that are ambiguous or have been omitted so that stakeholder engagement can begin to resolve these potential issues at the earliest opportunity. 
• Hazard and Risk Analysis: Our aviation team have facilitated and managed the ATM Equipment Hazard Identification process for several ATM systems. We have subsequently developed ATM equipment Hazard Logs supporting ATM-specific Safety Cases.
• ATM Equipment Safety Cases: We have produced the ATM Equipment Safety Cases and Release into Service Expositions (RiSE) on behalf of our clients to collate all the available evidence to demonstrate compliance with the ATM Standards and Regulations.

Client Benefits

Our clients realise the following benefits of specialist support from Safeguard Engineering:

• Consultancy from a specialist team that has been involved in maritime ATM equipment projects from the inception of the new regulations. This included the provision of the first Ship ATM Equipment Safety Case during the introduction of the Tide Class Tankers.
• A team that fully understands requirements and has been engaged with all stakeholders in the RiSP. We supported DE&S Ships to identify potential barriers to the acceptance of maritime ATM equipment and made several recommendations to improve the RiSP.
• Our experience enables us to proactively identify potential issues and risks, allowing our clients to assess options and engage stakeholders sooner to identify or manage potential risks, opportunities and dependencies more effectively from the outset.