BAE Systems reveals new system for avoiding air collisions

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- BAE Systems has revealed details about its Centralised Aviation Data Service system used to reduce the risk of collisions in uncontrolled U.K. airspace.

The CADS system is mandated by the U.K. Ministry of Defense for all flights under 2,000 feet. It allows pilots to plan night and low-altitude flights. During a three-month trial period, the system identified a total of 31,000 potential flight path crashes.

The system is also available for civilian users, including air ambulances.

"When the system was first introduced it provided a step change in the way in which pilots assessed hazards and plotted flight paths below 2,000 feet. The CADS system gives pilots fast, accurate information helping to navigate a safer path through the UK's increasingly congested airspace," BAE Systems head of Software and Services, Defense Information said in a statement.

The CADS logs around 300 sorties every day, and often used in flights above the Defense Ministry's mandated altitude threshold. The system uses a series of algorithms to evaluate a pilot's flight path based on the size, weight and speed of the aircraft being used.

The system aims to improve upon traditional methods of plotting a flight at low altitudes, which has historically included pilots using phone, fax or email communications to check their flight paths against others.