Evaluation of VDL modes in the en-route domain

In this paper we investigate the performance of VDL modes 2,3, and 4 in the en-route domain by simulating mobile aircraft that dynamically establish and disconnect links to the ground station. In simulation one, the aircraft modeled are within a single sector of airspace which is the current boundary for en-route aircraft communication. The second simulation models all aircraft within range of the VDL network, a 200 nautical miles radius. In both simulations, the aircraft trajectories simulate real traffic patterns of aircraft controlled by the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The primary statistic used to evaluate the performance of the VDL modes is the subnetwork delay. Based on the simulation scenarios investigated in this research, the subnetwork delays for all three modes are substantially less than the corresponding maximums specified in the standards.