Elect. Commun. (USA)

In the control of air traffic, data transmission meets the frequently exacting requirements for speed and accuracy. There may be 50 or more data channels connected to one centre for such purposes as narrow-band transmission of radar pictures, bearing information from direction finders, communication with adjacent centres, ground-to-air communication, et cetera. Data transmission equipment must work compatibly with all kinds of data sources and data consumers. Thus flexibility and adaptability are essential requirements. For this reason it is better to consider the data link as a function rather than as a specific equipment.