Role of the flight object and 4DT in airspace security

Abstract

The next generation air transportation system (NextGen) concept of operations (CONOPS) presents an integrated vision of all aspects of the future air transportation system, including air traffic management, airports, management, environment, safety, and operational security. This paper focuses on air transportation operational security; in particular, the "secure airspace" aspect, which addresses implementing security measures such as establishing restricted airspaces, monitoring and generating alerts for flights, and developing appropriate operational responses for security violations. Important aspects for this concept include the security restricted airspace (SRA), the flight security risk profile, and verified airspace access based on the parameters set up for the airspace and the security risk profile of the flight. Flight planning and four-dimensional trajectories (4DTs) must be managed to be consistent with security constraints. The flight object either contains or links to the flight's security-related information. This paper discusses the role of the 4DT, and the security elements of the flight object for airspace security. Their roles are illustrated through a representative operational scenario. Furthermore, this paper also proposes several security-related extensions for the flight object.