Thales SkyCentre

Thales is a world-leading supplier of aviation systems and related equipment. Two out of three aircraft reach their destination with the support of Thales systems. Thales is also heavily involved in international technology programs such as the European satellite program Galileo, the aviation program SESAR and the NextGen and ICAO Block Upgrades.

Thales founded the SkyCentre in Rungis, France, for research and development in the field of air traffic management. The centre offers a unique environment - specially designed to simulate real operational settings from air traffic management (ATM). This gives ATM experts the opportunity to share and further develop their tried and tested methods and operational measures. New concepts, including those from SESAR and NextGen, are also introduced, evaluated and tested in real-time simulations in a realistic operational environment.

The SkyCentre also serves as a showcase and demonstration facility for Thales ATM technology.

The request

To achieve the desired multifunctionality, Thales required a comprehensive KVM solution to combine and control the various ATM systems. The KVM matrix had to be pre-configurable so that it could instantly switch between the computer-based systems depending on the desired ATM application.

Another crucial factor for the KVM system was the requirement that none of the devices used should be affected in terms of operation or performance.

The solution

Thales installed a Draco tera compact KVM matrix in the SkyCentre, which enables system administrators to immediately align all systems to the desired tasks – whether for product demonstrations, research into operator behavior in simulated environments,
validation of new technologies or regulatory concepts on behalf of SESAR or other standardization bodies.

The Draco tera compact enables instant switching of connections between the various ATM applications running on the various workstations and terminals in the SkyCentre. Depending on the task required, administrators can change the configuration of the system using simple keyboard commands or via a graphical user interface. Pre-stored configurations make it easy to return to previous setups. New devices and systems can be quickly and easily integrated into the system when required.

The use

The SkyCentre benefits from the instantaneous switching of all sources, real-time video and data transmission and the brilliant image display of the Draco tera KVM system. It enables the center to work efficiently and adapt immediately to the desired applications and tasks.