The T-45 team at Naval Air Systems Command delivered the first Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) (Out)-compliant aircraft in January to Training Squadron (VT) 86 in Pensacola, Florida, to meet a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement.

ADS-B is a system that repeatedly broadcasts an aircraft’s current position, altitude, airspeed, identification and other information over a common frequency. It is intended to replace or augment ground-based radar and enhance traffic flow.

ADS-B (Out) is an FAA requirement within the National Airspace System that mandates a nationwide transition to ADS-B (Out) with Mode S elementary surveillance technology by 2025. The T-45 ADS-B (Out) integration replaces the Air Data Computer as well as the Identification, Friend or Foe transponder, which now includes a certified ADS-B-compliant embedded Global Positioning System; improves the Mission Display Processor Operational Flight Program; and modifies aircraft wiring and existing antennas.

NAVAIR release