T³CAS® Traffic Collision Avoidance System

Why T³CAS®

The T³CAS® system excels in operational efficiency, fuel savings, and route optimization by integrating advanced ADS-B In/Out capabilities with real-time traffic, terrain, and surveillance data in a single system. This allows aircraft to fly more precise, predictable routes with reduced separation, minimizing delays, vectoring, and holding.

T³CAS® also houses the SafeRoute+ application, which optimizes arrival spacing and sequencing to shorten flight paths, lower fuel burn, and reduce CO₂ emissions, particularly in congested airspace.

Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) are highly regulated worldwide due to their direct impact on flight safety. T³CAS® meets FAA and EASA meets DO‑260B compliant Mode S transponders for ADS‑B Out and is certified to all applicable TSOs, mandates, hardware and software standards. It also supports upcoming NextGen (U.S.) and SESAR (Europe) initiatives, enabling airlines to modernize without costly retrofits or new avionics investments.

As an Airbus line-fit and full integrated solution (TCAS + TAWS + Transponder in a single unit), T³CAS®  provides DO‑260B capability for new aircraft without the need for aftermarket installations. This reduces cost and operational risk versus installing separate boxes.

Backed by nearly 100 years of experience in cutting-edge avionics products and our heritage for technical credibility, Acron Aviation combines legacy expertise with next-generation innovation to deliver solutions that are both future-ready and fully compatible with existing systems.

What this means for you

• Integrated functionality: Combines TCAS, Terrain Awareness, and Transponder capabilities into one unit, simplifying certification, reducing weight and hardware costs, and improving reliability and operational efficiency over legacy multi-box systems.
• Future-proof compliance: Supports ADS-B In and DO-260B compliance, ensuring long-term regulatory alignment with current and emerging global airspace mandates while minimizing costly future upgrades.
• Seamless installation: Engineered as a drop-in replacement that integrates with existing aircraft wiring and displays, cutting installation time, reducing aircraft downtime, and enabling rapid return to service.
• Lower lifecycle costs: Multi-functionality and fewer components reduce the need for maintenance, spare parts inventory, and power consumption, delivering a more efficient total cost of ownership.
• Enhanced situational awareness: Provides real-time traffic and terrain data with low-latency alerting, improving pilot awareness, decision-making and response time to improve flight safety, while reducing mid-air collision risk in complex operational environments.

Regulatory compliance 

T³CAS® systems meet ADS-B mandates by fully integrating ADS-B Out functionality within its Mode S transponder and supporting ADS-B In for enhanced situational awareness.  T³CAS® is aligned with modern airspace modernization efforts, fully certified and operationally proven. Our T³CAS® meets several aviation industry general standards across surveillance, software, environmental, and system integration domains, including:

• Certifications: FAA TSOs (C119c, C112d, C151c, C166b, C195b, C117a) and RTCAs (DO-178B, DO-160E)
• Standards: Meets NextGen, regulatory and industry technical standards
• International: Compliant with global EASA and ICAO regulations

Fleet compatibility

Compatible with Airbus and Airbus Helicopters, including A320 Family (A318, A319, A320, A321) and H160 rotorcraft. It interfaces with standard cockpit Multi-Function Control and Display Units (MCDUs) and Navigation Displays using ARINC protocols (e.g., ARINC 429, ARINC 664).

T³CAS® solutions

T³CAS® offers modular configurations that combine multiple surveillance and safety functions into a single integrated unit. This flexibility allows operators to choose the capabilities they need without installing multiple standalone systems, reducing complexity, weight, and cost.

Full Configuration (Triple Function): A key differentiator over Honeywell and Garmin systems, best for modern commercial aircraft needing full situational awareness and compliance with global mandates. Integrates terrain awareness, traffic collision avoidance, and military tactical threat detection into a single avionics system. It provides pilots with real-time alerts and avoidance guidance for terrain, air traffic, and missile threats, enhancing situational awareness and survivability in both civilian and combat environments.

• Integrated TCAS, TAWS, and Tactical Threat Detection in a single compact system
• Real-time traffic collision avoidance with Resolution Advisories (RA) and Traffic Advisories (TA)
• Advanced terrain and obstacle awareness using predictive algorithms and a terrain database
• Missile and hostile fire threat alerts, supporting military tactical operations
• Mode S transponder functionality with ADS-B In/Out for civil and military interoperability
• Reduced size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP) compared to multiple standalone systems

TCAS + Transponder Only: Ideal for operators with a certified TAWS system who want to consolidate TCAS and transponder functions, this configuration ensures safe aircraft separation and compliance with air traffic control requirements. Also focuses on civil airspace operations, it delivers real-time traffic alerts and resolution advisories without terrain or tactical threat functions.

• Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II) with Resolution and Traffic Advisories
• Integrated Mode S transponder supporting civil and military ATC requirements
• ADS-B Out capability for enhanced situational awareness and airspace compliance
• Flexible integration into a wide range of aircraft platforms
• Reduced size and weight through system consolidation
• Growth path to full T³CAS functionality via software or hardware upgrades

TCAS + TAWS Only: Ideal for aircraft with a separate transponder, this configuration integrates Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) with Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), providing pilots with real-time alerts for both airborne traffic and potential terrain collisions. It enhances flight safety through traffic resolution advisories and predictive terrain warning, making it well-suited for civil or non-combat operations that require situational awareness without tactical threat detection.

• Integrated TCAS II and TAWS for comprehensive traffic and terrain collision avoidance
• Real-time Resolution Advisories (RA) and Traffic Advisories (TA) for airborne conflict avoidance
• Predictive terrain warning system using onboard terrain databases and aircraft performance data
• No transponder functionality, simplifying installation where an external transponder is used
• Compact, all-in-one design reduces size, weight, and wiring complexity
• Upgradeable architecture to add transponder or tactical functions as needed

Transponder + TAWS Only: Ideal for small aircraft or helicopters requiring terrain awareness and ADS‑B without full TCAS capabilities, this configuration integrates a Mode S transponder with Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) functionality. It ensures compliance with air traffic control requirements while receiving predictive terrain and obstacle alerts, enhancing situational awareness and terrain avoidance without airborne traffic or tactical threat detection.

• Integrated Mode S transponder for compliant communication with civil and military ATC
• Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) for predictive terrain and obstacle alerts
• Supports ADS-B Out for improved situational awareness and traffic tracking by ATC
• No TCAS functionality, suitable for operations where airborne traffic alerting is not required
• Lightweight and compact system design, ideal for space- and weight-constrained platforms
• Upgradeable to full T³CAS capability, allowing future expansion to TCAS or tactical functions

Key capabilities

1. Greater pilot efficiency

T³CAS®  can host SafeRoute+ or Airbus’ ATSAW ADS-B In Applications that increase safety, efficiency and throughput for flight operators. SafeRoute+ is a simple software upgrade and consists of five selectable applications that allow airlines to install ADS-B In:

• Enhanced airborne traffic situational awareness
• CDTI-assisted visual separation (CAVS)
• Interval management spacing (IM-S)
• In-trail procedures (ITP)

While ATSAW applications available through Airbus include:

• Enhanced airborne traffic situational awareness
• Visual separation on approach (VSA)
• In-trail procedures (ITP)
• These functions offer fuel savings that result from flying optimized, more predictable routes with consistent spacing and fewer vectors

2. Integration features

The compact, all-in-one design simplifies installation by replacing legacy TCAS, TAWS, and transponder units, streamlining upgrades without major airframe modifications.

Fully compliant with industry standards such as DO-260B for ADS-B and DO-178/DO-254 (software and hardware assurance), it integrates seamlessly into existing avionics architectures.

Compatible with a wide range of aircraft types, from commercial airliners to military platforms. Its modular and software-configurable architecture supports future capability expansion, including tactical enhancements or civil mandate updates.

3. Advanced technology features

The T³CAS® system integrates multiple safety functions (traffic detection, transponder, terrain awareness, and possible tactical threat detection) into a single platform, eliminating the need for separate boxes. Its modern signal processing and embedded software architectures deliver fast detection, low latency, and reliable advisories.

Designed for modularity and software configurability, T³CAS® allows features to be enabled, upgraded or adapted via software without major wholesale hardware changes. Compared with legacy systems, its integrated architecture and optimized signal processing provide faster detection and advisory generation, while fewer individual avionics components reduce maintenance, spare parts types, and simplify certification and upgrades.

By consolidating multiple safety functions, T³CAS® minimizes interfaces, reducing the risk of miscommunication or failure due to interface issues. Modern hardware and software design can also enable improved fault detection, self‑diagnosis, and graceful degradation, maintaining partial capability instead of total system loss

Specific technological advantages: 

• Reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP)
• Improved reaction time
• Easier installation/Retrofit
• Scalability
• Integrated Display & Pilot Interface

4. Military and civil operational support

Dual-use architecture enables seamless operation in diverse airspace environments and mission profiles.

For civil operations, it ensures compliance with international standards (e.g., ICAO, RTCA DO-185B for TCAS II, DO-260B for ADS-B) and compatibility with global air traffic control systems. Integrated Mode S transponder and ADS-B Out capabilities support mandated civil surveillance, while TAWS functionality delivers terrain awareness and predictive warnings essential for commercial and general aviation safety. It reduced SWaP and simplified installation, making it ideal for retrofitting civil aircraft transitioning from legacy systems.

For military operations, the full configuration provides tactical threat detection, including missile and hostile fire alerts, formation flying modes, and tailored traffic algorithms – capabilities that differentiate it from Honeywell and Garmin systems.

Interoperability with civil airspace systems ensures safe transitions between combat zones and controlled civil airspace, while ruggedized, mission-adaptable configurations support a wide variety of platforms, from transport aircraft like the A400M to special mission or rotorcraft.
This dual-role capability makes T³CAS® particularly valuable for multi-role aircraft, government contractors, and militaries operating in mixed-use airspace or requiring global deployability.

Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS)

Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) is a joint venture between Acron Aviation and Thales. ACSS designs and manufactures products for all aircraft and helicopter segments, and supports products for air transport and regional airlines, business aviation, and helicopter, general aviation, manned and unmanned military aircraft operators. ACSS produces avionics systems that increase safety, situational awareness, and efficiency for commercial and military flight operators.

T³CAS® is a direct outcome of this collaboration, merging TCAS, TAWS, and Mode S Transponder functions into a single LRU (line-replaceable unit). This integration simplifies aircraft wiring, reduces weight, lowers installation and maintenance costs, and enhances interoperability.

Customer support