ERA is about to cover the entire airspace of the Baltic state of Lithuania
ERA has signed a new contract to provide monitoring of air traffic over the Republic of Lithuania and beyond its borders with the newly installed Wide Area Multilateration System (WAM). Lithuania thus joins the countries, which benefit from countrywide coverage thanks to the Multi-sensor Surveillance System MSS by ERA.
ERA was assigned the contract with Oro navigacija, the Lithuanian Air Navigation Service Provider, in April 2024, as a result of a tendering process. The new system WAM Lithuania is designed to cover the entire Lithuanian airspace and therefore solve the secondary surveillance coverage requirements. To meet the challenge, ERA as the primary contractor will deliver the net of ground stations of its newest system MSS5-W, a composite solution based on multilateration and ADS-B technologies.
“This project is one of the highest priorities for Lithuania, in order to reach a new level of quality in air traffic surveillance. We value long-lasting experience of ERA, as well as their expertise in implementing WAM system projects in other countries. The competence of ERA will enable us to develop a high-level air traffic surveillance solution in Lithuania, taking into consideration the specific needs of our country”, stated the CEO of Oro Navigacija Saulius Batavičius.
According to detailed contract specifications, the system will be responsible for providing data for the entire Vilnius FIR (Flight Information Region) and an additional 50 Nautical Miles (NM), which means covering the entire state’s airspace plus the outskirts beyond the Lithuanian border, including part of the Baltic seashore.
The Lithuanian airports Vilnius, Kaunas, Palanga and Šiauliai will also benefit from the accurate coverage provided by the new WAM Lithuania system and will use it to optimize the process of approaching aircraft in their corresponding airspaces.
“We are very pleased to have a second full national coverage in the Baltic states. Last year we completed our contract with Latvia and this year we are starting our partnership with Lithuania,” stated the CEO of ERA Ondřej Chlost
The team of ERA experts is ready to confirm the suitable locations for placing the ground stations within an upcoming site survey. The final acceptance and completion of the WAM Lithuania system’s implementation, followed by the final Site Acceptance Tests and Pilot Operation, is planned to be held within 18 months.
About Lithuania
The Republic of Lithuania, with a population of 2.8 million, is one of the three Baltic states in Northern Europe. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius, while other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipeda. Lithuanians belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living Baltic languages.
