This document provides means to establish the operational, safety, performance, and interoperability requirements for ATS supported by data communications, to assess their validity, and to qualify the related CNS/ATM system. It is a single source document that provides guidance for approval of the CNS/ATM system and its operation where coordination is necessary across organizations. The guidance material considers the allocations of the operational, safety, performance, and interoperability requirements to the elements of the CNS/ATM system. These include ground-based elements, operational procedures, including the human, and aircraft equipage.

Some ATS supported by data communications provide surveillance functions. The performance associated with these functions may be characterized by required surveillance performance (RSP). During the preparation of this document the definition of RSP and methods for asserting RSP were considered. The conclusion reached, however, was that the specification of RSP is not currently defined to the level required for this purpose. Hence, this document does not provide guidance for RSP.

Other RTCA special committees and EUROCAE working groups may provide guidance material related to human performance, development assurance, and security. This document is intended to support such future guidance material.

Assessments that are not within the scope of this document include the following examples:

• safety assessments related to the disposal of hazardous materials used in test and evaluation, or in technical system development;

• performance assessments related to establishing requirements for optimizing efficiency for ATM;

• interoperability assessments related to data communications between two ATS units (ATSU) or between ATSUs and aircraft operational control (AOC) units; and

• occupational health and safety assessments for ATS facility workers.

However, States and organizations that perform such assessments can conduct them in concert with the activities related to the operational assessments to which this guidance material relates.