THE INDUSTRY

The aviation and airline industry comprise a multitude of third-party suppliers and vendors providing airlines with various products and services for operational purposes.  This is where Kongsberg Aeronautical falls in with an information service for use by airlines’ national operations centers and other flight operational functions.

 

THE COMPANY

Since its formation in 2012, Kongsberg Aeronautical has been financed by private investors, as well as it has received grants and support from Research Council of Norway (Skattefunn) and Innovation Norway, herein grants for to an Innovation Contract (formerly know as “Industri og Utviklingskontrakt”) based on a collaboration agreement with a major US airline.

 

SMART SOLUTION

Kongsberg Aeronautical’s proprietary core technology comprises a software program application installed on-board aircraft.  It is designed in such way that only results are relayed, results that have no bearing upon the actions of pilots. The on-board system is not integrated with any of the aircraft’s control functions and system and can therefore not interfere with these.

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SCALING UP

Standard Information Technology serves as basis for the system’s data transfer and processes functions.  Information from Kongsberg Aeronautical’s processing server can easily integrate with various application and tools individual airlines may use.  

 

BENEFITS

The driving force for the development has been safety.  Objective and at any time updated runway condition information contributes to safety. It is an important constituent in airlines decision support systems.

 

Our assessments also show that the same information may enable airlines to improve contingency planning and save substantial amount of fuel from early warning and hazard avoidance situations.  

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Obviously, no airlines are indifferent to runway overruns.  Direct costs from such may range from smaller technical checks and or repairs to total aircraft write-offs, depended upon the severity of incidents/accidents.  Furthermore, not directly measurable, public image is at stake when such incidents or accidents of this type takes place.

 

INTERNATIONAL MARKET

Flight operational challenges related to slippery runways have normally been associated with winter conditions, however, rain-wet runways also pose similar challenges.  Therefore, for Kongsberg Aeroanutical, the market extends worldwide.

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Our strategy is to pursue USA/North America first, because of our industrial network and the fact that USA has been in the forefront of work to mend shortcomings of today’s runway condition reporting.  Then, we will target Europe and Asia.  Based on industry forcasts, Asia will become the major market over the next decades.