ADS-L 4 SRD860 Issue 2 and the Future of European Electronic Conspicuity. Update. April 2026.

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Great News for PilotAware users!

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The recent release of ADS-L 4 SRD860 Issue 2 by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to standardise the message set across Electronic Conspicuity (EC) marks a significant moment in the evolution of EC across Europe. PilotAware wholeheartedly welcomes and supports this development.

ADS-L provides the industry with something it has urgently needed for years: a harmonised, proportionate and frequency-sensible EC protocol that enables interoperability without forcing legacy licensed aviation infrastructure into roles it can no longer reliably support on an increasingly congested aviation frequency.

To support this PilotAware has taken the major step to converted the whole of its network to use ADSL(0-Band). 

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1. Network First: All UK & EU PilotAware ATOM Stations were Upgraded Within 48 Hours

ADS-L 4 Issue 2 was published on 1 December 2025.

By 3 December, every PilotAware ATOM ground station both in the UK and mainland Europe were upgraded to:

1. transmit and receive ADS-L
2. process and validate ADS-L
3. incorporate ADS-L into the PilotAware MATRIX
4. rebroadcast ADS-L where appropriate

This achievement demonstrates:

• our support for ADS-L
• our engineering readiness
• our infrastructure maturity in its abiity to do this at pace and scale.
• and the extraordinary commitment of the community that operates the ATOM network.

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2. ADS-L Ground Rebroadcast and Detection are all operational now!

With the ATOM ground network upgrades complete, ADS-L transmissions are now being:

• detected
• processed
• integrated with multilateration, ADS-B, Mode-S, FLARM, FANET, and existing the PilotAware P3i data users
• rebroadcast or uplinked through the PilotAware MATRIX

In effect, the PilotAware network has become the first large scale operational ADS-L surveillance layer in UK and Europe, delivering airspace visibility immediately with this immediate Over the Air (OTA) software release.

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3. ADS-L Software has been added to PilotAware Airborne Devices

ADS-L O-Band signalling has now been integrated into the latest firmware for:

• PilotAware FX
• PilotAware Rosetta
• PilotAware Graffiti (UAV/BVLOS)

• no new hardware will be required
• backwards compatibility is maintained
• the benefits of the PilotAware network-backed EC remain fully intact

ADS-L is now available to all FX and Rosetta users via an OTA software update, using the PilotAware iGRID architecture.

This means thousands of GA, microlight, glider, and UAV operators will become ADS-L compatible without needing to purchase a new device. Nice

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4. How ADS-L Complements (Not Replaces) What PilotAware Already Provides

PilotAware supports the ADS-L standard and recognises the value of a unified European protocol.

ADS-L solves an important problem: it aligns Europe onto a common message format on modern SRD-860 frequencies. This is a prerequisite for interoperability in U Space.

But ADS-L alone does not provide the advanced features provided by the PilotAware MATRIX.

• low latency data
• high availability data
• high integrity
• traffic fusion
• multilateration of Mode-S
• ground-to-air hazard uplinks
• cross-protocol interpretation
• range management
• scheduling and network control
• intelligent rebroadcast
• Multi-path data resilience

These will remain the strengths of the PilotAware MATRIX.

Alll EC types will be detected and displayed with the lowest latency and highest resolution posiible.

PilotAware - Flarm - Fanet+ - ADSB - (DF 17 and DF18), Mode-S whether they are using ADS-L or not. Magic!

The integration strategy is in-line with our current capacity and future vision: PilotAware does the integration to make it easy for you

ADS-L provides the standard; the PilotAware MATRIX provides the capability and the integrity.

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Together they deliver something uniquely powerful for European aviation.

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5. A Positive Message for Regulators, Innovators and the Wider EC Industry

PilotAware will continue to fully support EASA’s work on ADS-L.
We both share common objectives:

• a harmonised EC environment
• proportionate requirements
• affordability
• interoperability across manned and unmanned sectors
• support for BVLOS and future airspace structures

Objectives that will also:

·       provide a reduction in the increasingly unnecessary load on the already congested 1090 MHz band, helping to ensure that ADS-B continues to function reliably in the busy European airspace as traffic volumes grow.

·       preserve the 1090 MHz capacity for commercial aviation, where high-power, high-integrity ADS-B and Modes-C/S remains essential to the safety net for large transport aircraft, TCAS, and en-route surveillance systems in IMC.

·       provide GA and unmanned aviation with a proportionate alternative, using modern SRD-860 frequencies with the standardised ADS-L protocol to support situational awareness in lower-risk environments without consuming 1090 MHz bandwidth.

Our rapid deployment again demonstrates that:

• PilotAware innovates when using the regulated but unlicensed SRD-860 band.
• SRD-860 is a viable, scalable foundation for all manufacturers
• EC does not need mandates to improve aviation safety.
• network-enhanced EC is both feasible, beneficial and available now.
• airspace safety improves when systems cooperate, not compete.

PilotAware will continue to work with EASA, national authorities, industry partners and competing manufacturers to ensure the safe adoption of ADS-L across Europe.

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6. What Happens Next

Over the coming months PilotAware will:

• Continue ADS-L airborne and ground based integration
• release ADS-L updates to all FX, Rosetta and Graffiti (UAV) users
• expand ATOM density within Europe
• publish transparency reports on anecdotal ADS-L performance
• assist emerging U-space operators with integration
• support BVLOS use cases in both civil and commercial settings
• collaborate internationally on EC harmonisation

Our aim, since inception, remains consistent and simple:

To help provide the most complete, most connected, and most practical situational awareness available to European airspace users of all types.

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In Summary

• ADS-L brings Europe a unified, modern EC protocol.
• PilotAware has already implemented it at network scale.
• PilotAware will help build more European ATOM stations
• Airborne integration is underway and requires no new hardware.
• The MATRIX adds capabilities far beyond the base protocol.
• PilotAware remains committed to working collaboratively across the industry.

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This is a moment of significant progress, not just for PilotAware, but for European aviation as a whole.

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