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ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) also known as Aeronautical Message Handling System is a standard for aeronautical ground-ground communications (e.g. for the transmission of NOTAM, Flight Plans or Meteorological Data) based on X.400 profiles. It has been defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In order to facilitate the transition from legacy protocols to this new standard EUROCONTROL with its European member states launched an ambitious project called ECG (European or EATM Communications Gateway) to develop a gateway between AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network) and AMHS. The ECG was developed by the French manufacturer THALES and the German manufacturer COMSOFT. Similar solutions have been developed by the Spanish manufacturer TELEFONICA, Ubitech Systems Inc. of Canada, and the German manufacturer AVITECH. Several AMHS systems in Europe installed in Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany (Civil), at EUROCONTROL sites in Belgium and France, Portugal and Macedonia are derived from the ECG or implemented based on similar solutions in Spain and Germany (Military).
The first AMHS system went into operational use in 1996 with 36 centers for the German Military and the first AMHS connection in Europe is in operational use since February 2005 between the Air Navigation Service Providers of Germany and Spain. The Air Naviation Service Provider of the Republic of Korea using AMHS since 2002 whereby Taiwan since 2005, as is Argentina, the first country in Latin America to use AMHS, with software provided by Radiocom, followed by Paraguay in 2007. Australia, Philippines, Singapore, the Arabian Emirates, Hungary and Tunesia will be ready for AMHS in 2007. Ubitech will installing its AMHS systems in Jamaica and in Kuwait during 2007, and Thailand in 2008.
In order to ensure unobstructed communication between the ANSPs, the European Air Navigation Planning Group (EANPG) of ICAO has defined 51 test cases in its EUR AMHS Manual (Appendix D), which have to be performed prior to establishment of bilateral links between the ANSPs. Those tests are conducted using a test engine (AMHS Conformace Test Tool) and verify the conformance to the AMHS standard, which is defined in ICAO Doc 9705-AN/956: The Manual of technical provisions for the ATN, Sub-volume III.
In 2007 the first book about AMHS has been written in support of system engineers, implementers and test engineers from the German manufacturer AC-B GmbH.
