NAMA plans high frequency long range communication radios to improve air traffic

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is set to deploy latest technology known as stand-alone JOTRON high-powered, very high frequency long range communication radios to improve nationwide air traffic system.

The agency revealed that each of the planned four radios will be installed in Lagos West and Lagos East as well as Kano West and Kano East area control centres.

Though it was not clear what the agency considered in leaving out other regions of the country in this deployment, NAMA averred that it had conducted a successful inspection and factory acceptance test of the equipment in Norway.

The inspection exercise included physical inspection of the facilities and their technical specifications vis-à-vis the scope given by the agency.

According to the Managing Director of the agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, the inspection exercise cut across sensitivity, selectivity, signal to noise ratio, power output as well as range covered by the radios.

He noted that the new solution would not only offer options to controllers at any given point in time to discharge their duties efficiently and without hindrance, but would also reduce delays and controller workload.

In his further explanation, Akinkuotu added that “When fully deployed, this new back-up communications solution designed by NAMA is aimed at addressing remote controlled air to ground communication challenges in the upper airspace. The four stand-alone radios, by their design, are totally independent and will not interface with any existing communications architecture already in use.

“With a range of over 260 nautical miles each, the radios will have sufficient overlapping of propagated signals to eliminate blind spots,” NAMA boss observed.