AJB 30203:

AIRCRAFT RADAR SYSTEMS:

TRAFFIC ALERT AND COLLISION
AVOIDANCE SYSTEMS (TCAS)

ASSOC. PROF. TS. DR. HARLISYA

HARUN
[email protected]
14 October 2021
Figure: Various antenna types and their placement on an Airbus A380 airliner.
Source: Aircraft drawing from www. norebbo.com.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 WHAT IS TCAS?
• TCAS stand for Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System.
• TCAS can exchange data directly between aircraft.
• TCAS operates similar to SSR but in air-to-air role.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 WHAT IS TCAS?
• The system comprises two elements: a surveillance system and collision
avoidance system.
• TCAS is an automatic surveillance system that helps aircrews and ATC
maintain safe separation of aircraft.
• TCAS is a transponder based interrogation system capable of displaying
conflicting traffic and providing resolution advisory.
• Provides an extra level of protection against mid-air collisions.
• TCAS is unable to detect aircraft that are not carrying an appropriately
operating transponder or which have unserviceable equipment.
• A transponder is mandated if an aircraft flies above 10,000 feet or within
30 miles of major airports.
• The ICAO states that, under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), aircraft should
maintain a vertical separation of no less than 1,000 feet of altitude.
• Under Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM), the minimum
vertical separation remains at 1,000 feet.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TCAS
• It is an airborne system based on SSR that interrogates and replies
directly between aircraft via high integrity data link.
• TCAS creates a protected volume of airspace around the host aircraft;
this is based on the altitude separation and a calculated time () to the
CPA (closest point of approach).

• If both tau's are less than certain threshold, a Traffic Alert (TA) is raised.
• When the tau's are less that another (lower) threshold, a Resolution
Advisory is given.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TYPICAL SURVEILLANCE PATTERN

RA airspace is defined
as within  750 feet

TA airspace is defined
as within  1,200 feet

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TCAS
• TCAS issues an advisory to the flight crew on the appropriate
behaviour.
• The advisory message is split into two (2) types:
i. Traffic Advisory (TA)
‐ Gives information on the position of other aircraft in the
immediate vicinity.
‐ TA airspace is defined within  1200 feet and approximately
45 seconds distance, wrt closure speed, of the aircraft.
ii. Resolution Advisory (RA)
‐ Recommends a manouevre to increase vertical separation
between aircraft.
‐ RA airspace is designed as  700 feet and approximately 30
seconds distance, wrt closure speed, of the aircraft.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TYPES OF TCAS?
TCAS I (for 10 to 30 passenger aircraft)
• A low-powered, short-range system that provides proximity alerts known as
Traffic Advisory (TA).
• Visual aids only with no suggested avoidance maneuver.
• Upon receiving a TA the flight crew must visually identify the intruding
aircraft and may alter their altitude by up to 300 feet.
TCAS II (for larger transport)
• Generates TA (Aircraft Surveillance Area) within 30 nm.
• Provides vertical maneuvers suggestions known as “Resolution Advisory (RA).
• Vertical Resolution (Climb or Descend).
• Can communicate with other TCAS II aircraft and coordinate complimentary
maneuver.
TCAS III
• It is not fully operational.
• Same as the TCAS II and in addition, to be able to provide RA in the
horizontal plane (eg “TURN LEFT”, “TURN RIGHT” etc).

** TCAS II is the current standard.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun
 TYPES OF TCAS?
TCAS II (for larger transport)
• Further changes were introduced to TCAS II, known as TCAS II Change 7.
• This introduced software changes and updated algorithm that alter some of
TCAS operating parameters.
• Specifically, Change 7 includes the following features:

⁻ Elimination of nuisance warnings;

⁻ Improve RA performance in multi-aircraft environment;
⁻ Modification of vertical thresholds to align with reduced vertical
separation minima (RVSM)
⁻ Modification of RA display symbology and aural annunciations.

• The Change 7 modifications become mandatory in Europe for aircraft with 30

seats or more from 31 March 2001, and for aircraft with more than 19 seats
from 1 January 2005.
• The Change 7 is not mandated in the US but it is expected that most aircraft
will be equipped to that standard in any case.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TWO TYPES OF ALERT?
• Traffic Advisory (TA) – which is a threat advisory that alerts the pilot that
another aircraft is close enough to be a potential threat.
• Resolution Advisory (RA) – means that other aircraft IS a threat (30 seconds
to a possible collision) and issues commands to evade a collision.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 Tau (T, )
• Airplanes differ greatly in speed and performance and TCAS must
work with them all.
• This is done through a concept known as “tau” (the Greek letter)
to adjust warnings to the actual situation.
• By measuring distance and closing rate to the target, TCAS might
issue the first warning 40 seconds before a potential collision and
a second one 25 second before.
• TCAS adjust warning times according to aircraft speeds.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

TYPICAL SURVEILLANCE PATTERN

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 AIRCRAFT
EQUIPMENT
The aircraft’s TCAS
installation consists of the
following parts:
• Transmitter/Receiver
• RA and TA displays.
• Single omni-
directional antenna.
• Single directional
antenna.
• System controller.
• Mode S Transponder
with dual antenna
installation.
Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun
 TCAS Equipment
TOP DIRECTIONAL
ANTENNA

TOP ANTENNA

ATC / MODE “S”

TRANSPONDER
TCAS II
#1
TRANSCEIVER

AUDIO SYSTEM
ATC / TCAS II
CONTROL
PANEL RA

DISPLAY

ATC / MODE “S”

TRANSPONDER TA DISPLAY
#2

OPTIONAL BOTTOM
DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA BOTTOM
BOTTOM ANTENNAE ANTENNA

SCHEMATIC OF A TYPICAL TCAS II SYSTEM

TCAS Equipment
 TCAS Equipment

• 1or2 X TRANSCEIVER
• 1 X RA DISPLAY
• 1 X TA DISPLAY
• 1 X OMNI DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA (BOTOM)
• SINGLE DIRECTIONAL ANTANNA (TOP)
• SINGLE DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA (BOTTOM)
• SYSTEM CONTROLLER
• MODE “S” TRANSPONDER WITH DUAL ANTENNA
INSTALLATION
 Typical Operation
• The method used for the
surveillance of the local mode S
capable traffic is that each
aircraft broadcasts an unsolicited
message every second at 1030
MHz called a squitter.
• For example, aircraft ‘A’ transmits
a squitter signal every second at
1030 MHz from its mode S
Transponder that identifies it as
the transmitting aircraft.
• Any other TCAS equipped aircraft
in the vicinity (aircraft ‘C’),
continually monitors the 1030
MHz frequency.
Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun
 Typical Operation
• When aircraft “C’ receives a valid
identification squitter, it adds the
transmitting aircraft to a list that it
will interrogate.
• This list is called a ‘roll-call’.
• In addition, aircraft ‘A’ will also add
aircraft ‘C’ to its roll-call.
• The TCAS II transmitter/receiver of
aircraft ‘A’ will also transmit
interrogations to any standard mode
A/C transponder equipped aircraft
un the area.
• TCAS (aircraft ‘A’) computes the
range of any intruding aircraft by
using the RTT between the
transmission of the interrogation
and reply reception.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 Typical Operation
• Displayed Resolution Advisories
(RA) are one of two types:
i. Corrective advisories – that
instruct the pilot to deviate
from the current fight path.
ii. Preventive advisories – that
advise the flight crew to
avoid certain manoeuvres to
prevent collision.

• There are currently 12 possible

aural announcements.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 12 Possible Aural Annoucement
No: ADVISORY
1 CLIMB,CLIMB, CLIMB
2 DESCEND, DESCEND, DESCEND
3 REDUCE DESCEND, REDUCE DESCEND
4 REDUCE CLIMB, REDUCE CLIMB
5 MONITOR VETICAL SPEED, MONITOR VERTICAL SPEED
6 CLEAR OF CONFLICT
7 CLIMB-CROSSING CLIMB, CLIMB-CROSSING CLIMB
8 DESCENT- CROSSING DESCEND, DESCEND-CROSSING DESCEND
9 INCREASE CLIMB, INCREASE CLIMB
10 INCREASE DESCEND, INCREASE DESCEND
11 CLIMB-CLIMB NOW, CLIMB-CLIMB NOW
12 DESCEND-DESCEND NOW, DESCEND-DESCEND NOW

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

Variations of warnings

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 TCAS DISPLAY
MAY BE A STANDALONE OR
COMBINED TYPE
ANALOGUE DISPLAY WITH
COLORED LIGHTS
 1 2
.5 VERTICAL
SPEED
4
V
S
VSI
0
I
T
6
C
TCA A
S S

.5 1000 FPM 4
1 2

ANOLOGUE
 COLLINS
TCAS DISPLAY
INT
WX – NORM - OFF
TA – ONLY
- OFF 23
TF
C
ABOVE
BELOW
4 2 DIGITAL
RAD
NAV
22
0
DISPLAY. IT IS
A / B
RM
23
0
8 PART OF
T AL
T ELECTRONIC
TF
C
23
FLIGHT
EM
G
4 INSTRUMENT
DAT FL 230 SYSTEM (EFIS),
A
MULTIFUNCTION
RC SK CL DISPLAY (MFD)
L P R
OR WEATHER
COLLINS COMBINED TA / MFD RADAR DISPLAY
 TCAS DISPLAY
STANDALONE TYPE

DIFFERENT SYMBOLS ARE USED FOR AIRCRAFT DEPANDING

ON PROXIMITY AND THREAT POTENTIAL.
ALTITUDE IS PLACED BESIDE THE SYMBOL (ABOVE OR
BELOW).

+ 10 MEANS 1000FEET ABOVE THE TCAS EQUIPED

INTERROGATOR OR
-2 MEANS 200 FEET BELOW THE TCAS EQUIPED
INTRROGATOR

ARROW BESIDE THE SYMBOL INDICATES THE THREAT ACFT

IS CLIMBING OR DESCENDING AT GREATER THAN 500 FEET
PER SEC

IF ACFT IS NOT A THREAT THEN THE SYMBOL WILL BE A

HOLLOW BLUE DIAMOND ( )
IF IT BECOMES A POTENTIAL THREAT, THEN IT CHANGES TO
SOLID YELLOW CIRCLE ( ) AND WITH “TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC”
AUDIO
 IF IT BECOMES NON-IMMEDIATE THREAT, THE SOLID YELLOW
CIRCLE ( ) TURNS INTO A RED SQUARE BOX ( ) WITH
CLIMB, CLIMB OR DESCEND, DESCEND AUDIO

MODIFIED VSI DISPLAY DISPLAYS COLOURED LIGHTS TO

INDICATE CLIMB OR DESCEND
TCAS CAN ALSO PROVIDE “DO NOT DESCEND, LIMIT VERTICAL
SPEED (OPTIONAL)

COMBINED VSI / TA / RA
DISPLAY

30 OCT 2009
Revision: 01 / 09
 OWN ACFT:
AIRPLANE SYMBOL
WHITE OR CYAN

NON-INTRUDING TRAFFIC 07 TRAFFIC ADVISORY (INTRUDER)

700 FEET ABOVE.
ALTITUDE UNKNOWN
OPEN DIAMOND LEVEL
WHITE OR CYAN SOLID AMBER CIRCLE

PROXIMITY TRAFFIC RESOLUTION ADVISORY (THREAT)

200 FEET BELOW. 100 FEET BELOW.
DESCENDING - CLIMBING
- SOLID DIAMOND. WHITE OR SOLID RED SQUARE
CYAN 01
02
TCAS Symbols on a Radar Display
 TYPICAL TCAS DISPLAY
• Interrogating aircraft being placed in the middle of the screen.
• Aircraft relative altitude is also displayed. Relative altitude is the targets
altitude in relation to the aircraft.

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

TCAS ON RADAR DISPLAY

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

TCAS ON THE VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

TCAS ON THE VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR

Prepared By: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harlisya Harun

 END
OF
PRESENTATION

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