Aeronautical Message Handling System
Encyclopedia
ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) also known as Aeronautical Message Handling System is a standard for aeronautical ground-ground communications (e.g. for the transmission of NOTAM
, Flight Plans or Meteorological Data) based on X.400
profiles. It has been defined by the ICAO
.
ICAO Doc 9880 Part II defines two fundamental levels of service within the ATSMHS;
Additionally, ICAO Doc 9880 (Part II, section 3.4) outlines different subsets of the Extended ATSMHS. The Basic ATSMHS performs an operational role similar to the
Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network with a few enhancements. The Extended ATSMHS provided enhanced features but includes the Basic level of service
capability; in this way it is ensured that users with Extended Service capabilities can interoperate, at a basic level, with users having Basic Service capabilities and vice-versa.
The ATSMHS is provided by a set of end systems, which collectively comprise the ATS Message Handling System. The systems co-operate to provide users (human or automated) with a data communication service. The AMHS network is composed of interconnected ATS Message Servers that perform message switching at the application layer ( Layer 7 in the OSI model
).
Direct users connect to ATS Message Servers by means of ATS Message User Agents. An ATS Message User Agent supporting the Extended level of service will use
the Basic level of service to allow communication with users who only support the Basic ATSMHS.
In the context of Single European Sky
(SES) initiative and the European regulation EC552/2004 EUROCONTROL developed a specification to complement the regulation. The use of the specifications facilitates the demonstration of conformity to the essential requirements and regulatory provisions.
between AFTN and AMHS. The ECG was developed by the French manufacturer Thales
and the German
manufacturer COMSOFT. Meanwhile, nearly all AMHS systems in Europe
are derived from the ECG (see table below).
Similar solutions are offered by Intelcan (Canada), TELEFONICA (Spain), Ubitech (Canada),Radiocom (USA) working together with Skysoft Servicios S.A. (Argentina), Avitech AG (Germany) and FREQUENTIS (Austria).
The first AMHS system went into operational use in 1996 with 36 centers for the German Military, and the first AMHS connection in Europe is in operational use since February 2005 between the ANSP
s of Germany and Spain. The first operational AMHS connection in the Middle East was established in 2009 between Abu Dhabi and Oman. In the meantime Abu Dhabi has evolved as a nucleus for the introduction of AMHS in the middle east and operates additional international AMHS connections with Jordan and Qatar. The link between Amman and Abu Dhabi which went into operation in March 2010 is the first AMHS link world-wide using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection through the public internet. In September 2010 the AMHS island in the ICAO MID Region was enlarged by a new operational AMHS link between Amman and Cairo. With the operational cutover of AMHS links between Amman and Jeddah as well as between Cairo and Jeddah in November 2010 the first AMHS triangle world-wide is now in use between the COM Centres of Amman, Cairo and Jeddah.
Ethiopia is another African States that has become an active AMHS Extended Service user during 2010. A complete AMHS Extended Service system centered in Addis Ababa and linked to three of the countries regional airports was accepted by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) in June 2010, when it immediately replaced the AFTN system previously in operation. To add to this ECAA also contracted the installation and commissioning of a fully equipped AMHS Extended Service training center, the first of its kind in the region. This project was carried out by the USA based company Radiocom, Inc.http://www.radiocominc.com as the result of a public tender carried out by ICAO.
NOTAM
NOTAM or NoTAM is the quasi-acronym for a "Notice To Airmen". NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies and airport operators under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the Convention on International Civil Aviation...
, Flight Plans or Meteorological Data) based on X.400
X.400
X.400 is a suite of ITU-T Recommendations that define standards for Data Communication Networks for Message Handling Systems — more commonly known as "email"....
profiles. It has been defined by the ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
.
ICAO Doc 9880 Part II defines two fundamental levels of service within the ATSMHS;
- Basic ATSMHS and
- the Extended ATSMHS.
Additionally, ICAO Doc 9880 (Part II, section 3.4) outlines different subsets of the Extended ATSMHS. The Basic ATSMHS performs an operational role similar to the
Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network with a few enhancements. The Extended ATSMHS provided enhanced features but includes the Basic level of service
capability; in this way it is ensured that users with Extended Service capabilities can interoperate, at a basic level, with users having Basic Service capabilities and vice-versa.
The ATSMHS is provided by a set of end systems, which collectively comprise the ATS Message Handling System. The systems co-operate to provide users (human or automated) with a data communication service. The AMHS network is composed of interconnected ATS Message Servers that perform message switching at the application layer ( Layer 7 in the OSI model
OSI model
The Open Systems Interconnection model is a product of the Open Systems Interconnection effort at the International Organization for Standardization. It is a prescription of characterizing and standardizing the functions of a communications system in terms of abstraction layers. Similar...
).
Direct users connect to ATS Message Servers by means of ATS Message User Agents. An ATS Message User Agent supporting the Extended level of service will use
the Basic level of service to allow communication with users who only support the Basic ATSMHS.
Interoperability
In order to ensure unobstructed communication between the ANSPs, the European Air Navigation Planning Group (EANPG) of ICAO has defined 59 test cases in its EUR AMHS Manual V5.0, 17/06/2010 (Appendix D, AMHS Conformance Tests), ASIA/PAC AMHS Manual (Annex B, AMHS Conformance and Compatibility Test, V2.0, 22/09/08) which have to be performed prior to establishment of bilateral links between the ANSPs. Those tests are conducted using a test engine (AMHS Conformance Test Tool) and verify the conformance to the AMHS standard, which is defined in ICAO Doc 9880-AN/466: Manual on Detailed Technical Specifications for the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) using ISO/OSI Standards and Protocols, Part II, First Edition - 2010.In the context of Single European Sky
Single European Sky
The Single European Sky is a European Commission initiative by which the design, management and regulation of airspace will be coordinated throughout the European Union ....
(SES) initiative and the European regulation EC552/2004 EUROCONTROL developed a specification to complement the regulation. The use of the specifications facilitates the demonstration of conformity to the essential requirements and regulatory provisions.
Implementations
In order to facilitate the transition from legacy protocols to this new standard EUROCONTROL launched a project called ECG (European or EATM Communications Gateway) to develop a gatewayGateway (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, the term gateway has the following meaning:*In a communications network, a network node equipped for interfacing with another network that uses different protocols....
between AFTN and AMHS. The ECG was developed by the French manufacturer Thales
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
manufacturer COMSOFT. Meanwhile, nearly all AMHS systems in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
are derived from the ECG (see table below).
Similar solutions are offered by Intelcan (Canada), TELEFONICA (Spain), Ubitech (Canada),Radiocom (USA) working together with Skysoft Servicios S.A. (Argentina), Avitech AG (Germany) and FREQUENTIS (Austria).
The first AMHS system went into operational use in 1996 with 36 centers for the German Military, and the first AMHS connection in Europe is in operational use since February 2005 between the ANSP
Air Navigation Service Provider
An Air Navigation Service Provider is the organisation that separates aircraft on the ground or in flight in a dedicated block of airspace on behalf of a state or a number of states....
s of Germany and Spain. The first operational AMHS connection in the Middle East was established in 2009 between Abu Dhabi and Oman. In the meantime Abu Dhabi has evolved as a nucleus for the introduction of AMHS in the middle east and operates additional international AMHS connections with Jordan and Qatar. The link between Amman and Abu Dhabi which went into operation in March 2010 is the first AMHS link world-wide using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection through the public internet. In September 2010 the AMHS island in the ICAO MID Region was enlarged by a new operational AMHS link between Amman and Cairo. With the operational cutover of AMHS links between Amman and Jeddah as well as between Cairo and Jeddah in November 2010 the first AMHS triangle world-wide is now in use between the COM Centres of Amman, Cairo and Jeddah.
Ethiopia is another African States that has become an active AMHS Extended Service user during 2010. A complete AMHS Extended Service system centered in Addis Ababa and linked to three of the countries regional airports was accepted by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) in June 2010, when it immediately replaced the AFTN system previously in operation. To add to this ECAA also contracted the installation and commissioning of a fully equipped AMHS Extended Service training center, the first of its kind in the region. This project was carried out by the USA based company Radiocom, Inc.http://www.radiocominc.com as the result of a public tender carried out by ICAO.
P3 Connectivity
In early 2010, AMHS interoperability across heterogeneous systems gained momentum when NetSys International became the first supplier to successfully commission an automated meteorological message handling system that offers P3 connectivity. The system for Belgocontrol in Belgium delivered on one of the core promises of AMHS when it demonstrated the automatic exchange of significant weather charts in pictorial form with other AMHS user agents.AMHS usage around the world
| Country / Authority | Online since | AFTN / AMHS Gateway | ATS Message User Agent | ATS Service Level | System Supplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi (civil aviation authority) | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Abu Dhabi (new airport) | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Afghanistan (OTAN) | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Albania | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Basic | FREQUENTIS |
| Algeria | 2004 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Argentina | July 2005 | Yes | Yes 250 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Argentina (AMHS Extended Service Training Center) | March 2007 | Yes | Yes 14 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Argentina (Military) | January 2009 | Yes | Yes 60 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Australia | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Austria | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Bahrain | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Belgium | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Belize | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Bolivia | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Brazil | Yes | Yes | Basic | Atech | |
| Bulgaria (military) | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Cape Verde | 2005 | Yes | No | Basic | FREQUENTIS |
| China/Hong Kong | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| China/Macao | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Chile | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Colombia | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Costa Rica | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Croatia | 2004 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Cyprus | 2003 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Denmark | in 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | FREQUENTIS |
| Dominican Republic | 2009 | Yes | Yes | ??? | Ubitech |
| Ecuador (Quito & Guayaquil) | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Ecuador (Guayaquil - Backup system) | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| El Salvador | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Egypt | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Ethiopia | June 2010 | Yes | Yes 43 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Ethiopia (AMHS Extended Service Training Center) | June 2010 | Yes | Yes 6 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Eurocontrol CFMU | 2005 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Eurocontrol MUAC | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Fiji | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Finland | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | FREQUENTIS |
| France | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Germany (civil) | 2005 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Germany (military) | 1996 | Yes | No | Extended | Avitech |
| Greece | 2002 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Guatemala | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Guyana | June 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Intelcan |
| Honduras | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Hungary | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Avitech |
| Iceland | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Tern Systems |
| India (military) | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Jordan | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Avitech |
| Kenya | 2000 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Laos | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Latvia | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | FREQUENTIS |
| Lebanon | 2003 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Lituania | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Macedonia | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Malaysia | 2007 | Yes | No | Extended | Egis Avia |
| Montenegro | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Morocco | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Myanmar | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Netherlands | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Nicaragua | before 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Oman | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Pakistan | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Panama | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | COCESNA |
| Paraguay | 2008 | Yes | 50 | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Peru | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Philippines | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Poland | 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Avitech |
| Poland | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Portugal | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Qatar | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Romania | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Saudi Arabia | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Serbia | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Singapore | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Slovakia | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| Slovenia | 2001 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| South Africa | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Spain | ? | Yes | ? | ? | Telefonica |
| Sudan | 2004 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Suriname | March 2011 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Intelcan |
| Switzerland | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Comsoft |
| Taiwan | 2005 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Thales |
| Thailand | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Ubitech |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 2003 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Thales |
| Tunisia | 2008 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Avitech |
| Turkey | 2009 | Yes | Yes | Extended | Avitech |
| United Arab Emirates | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| United Kingdom | 2006 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |
| United States | Yes | No | Basic | FAA | |
| Venezuela | July 2010 | Yes | Yes | Extended | RADIOCOM, INC. |
| Zimbabwe | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Basic | Comsoft |