The TCP protocol has been selected as the transport layer protocol of the ATN/IPS. However, there are multiple known deficiencies of the protocol when operating over ldquolong thin networksrdquo. In this paper we discuss several well-known TCP optimization techniques and their application to aeronautical data traffic. The performance of TCP is evaluated and analyzed in a simulated environment based on the COCR report.

The VHF COM band currently used for air-ground communications is becoming congested, and the future air traffic management concepts will require much greater use of data communications than today. The wireless communication system discussed in this paper, L-DACS1, is considered a candidate system for this purpose. It has been derived from B-AMC, TIA-902 (P34), and WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e). The presented work, which was performed in a EUROCONTROL funded study, aimed at developing an initial system specification for L-DACS1. This system specification shall enable prototyping activities that in turn shall clarify system compatibility issues that could not be covered analytically or via modeling.