OpenSky report 2017: Mode S and ADS-B usage of military and other state aircraft

Abstract

This paper provides up-to-date statistics on SSR Mode S and 1090ES ADS-B usage by military and state aircraft from the OpenSky Network. By analysing the large host of real-world data collected by OpenSky using more than 700 receivers, we provide insights on the equipage of these state aircraft, their capabilities, usage patterns and much more. We publish up-to-date, empirically validated numbers on the status of the ongoing ADS-B deployment based on data collected over large areas in Europe, North America, and other continents, and categorize these aircraft by incorporating publicly available data sources. Our measurements indicate that ADS-B equipage of military aircraft is 42.9%, which is considerably less than ADS-B deployment in civil aviation. While there is considerable variation between countries, our results show that there is a long way to go to for a safe and efficient integration of military and state air traffic into the next generation civil air transportation system.