Tern Systems to Lead €21 Million European ATM Innovation Project “NOMAD”

Tern Systems will lead NOMAD (Next-Gen Service Oriented Modular ATM Development for Enroute & TMA), a new European air traffic management innovation project receiving €21 million in funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.

The project brings together 17 partners from across Europe and will officially begin this fall, positioning Tern Systems at the forefront of the next generation of digital air traffic management in Europe.

NOMAD is designed to help transform how air traffic is managed in European airspace by creating a more connected, automated, flexible, and resilient air traffic management system. The project supports the vision of the Digital European Sky and the latest European ATM Master Plan, which aim to modernize Europe’s air traffic infrastructure to handle growing demand while maintaining safety, improving efficiency, and reducing environmental impact.

At the heart of the project is the development of a new generation of air traffic management platform built around cloud technology, automation, cybersecurity, and real-time data sharing. The goal is to enable air navigation service providers to adapt capacity dynamically to traffic demand while reducing delays, emissions, and operational complexity.

NOMAD consists of three major focus areas:

• Developing highly automated and “silent” air traffic control operations, where much of the communication between controllers and pilots becomes digital rather than voice-based.

• Creating dynamic airspace and capacity management systems that can respond in real time to changing traffic patterns, weather, and operational conditions.

• Building a secure, cloud-based, multi-vendor air traffic management platform that allows systems and services from different providers to work seamlessly together.

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The project will also explore advanced uses of artificial intelligence and human-machine collaboration to support air traffic controllers, improve operational predictability, and increase airspace capacity while maintaining high safety standards.

As project coordinator and solution lead, Tern Systems will play a central role in guiding both the operational and technical direction of NOMAD. The company will lead work related to future automation, service-oriented ATM architecture, and cybersecurity for next-generation air traffic systems.

The consortium includes air navigation service providers, ATM technology companies, research institutions, and industry specialists from across Europe, all working together to accelerate innovation and interoperability in European aviation.

“This project represents an important milestone for Tern Systems

and for the future of European air traffic management,” says Magnús Már Þórðarson, CEO of Tern Systems. “NOMAD gives us the opportunity to work together with leading European partners to help shape a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient aviation ecosystem for the future.”

The project aims to reach Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6), meaning the technologies developed within NOMAD will be validated in operationally relevant environments and prepared for future deployment across Europe. It is also expected to contribute directly to reducing aviation emissions, improving operational efficiency, strengthening cybersecurity resilience, and enabling a more scalable European ATM network capable of supporting future air traffic growth.

For Tern Systems, the project further strengthens the company’s position as a leading innovator in advanced air traffic management technologies and reinforces Iceland’s growing role in the development of the future European aviation ecosystem.

Project partners: Tern Systems (Coordinator), Avians, SkySoft-ATM, Skyguide, HungaroControl, SKAI LABS, IDIAP, AVTECH, BME, SpeechTex, MetSafe, SITA, Airtel, Slot Consulting, ProofIT, Navya Solutions. 

About Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation, aimed at tackling climate change, helping to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and boosting the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

About SESAR Joint Undertaking

The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) is a European public-private partnership responsible for modernizing Europe’s air traffic management (ATM) system. It was established by the European Union to coordinate research, development, and deployment of technologies that improve how aircraft move through European airspace. SESAR stands for Single European Sky ATM Research.

Tern Systems Provides Polaris ATM and Orion Simulator for Cornwall Airport Newquay

Tern Systems is proud to announce its selection as a key technology partner for the infrastructure modernization programme at Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY). Working in close collaboration with Easat Radar Systems Ltd, we are delivering a next-generation surveillance and air traffic management solution to future-proof one of the UK’s most diverse airspaces.

As part of a wider upgrade part-funded by the Cornwall Council UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Cornwall Airport Newquay is replacing its existing radar infrastructure. Tern Systems will integrate its Polaris ATM system and Orion Simulator to provide a seamless, high-performance interface for air traffic controllers.

By combining Tern Systems' expertise in ATM software with Easat’s world-class radar technology, the airport will benefit from a truly integrated surveillance solution. Polaris ATM system provides controllers with the precision and clarity needed to manage complex traffic, while the Orion Simulator ensures the team is trained to the highest standards in a risk-free, high-fidelity environment.

"We are proud to play a role in this modernization programme. By combining our ATM expertise with Easat’s world-class radar technology, we are delivering a truly integrated and seamless surveillance solution that supports the future of Cornwall’s airspace." — Tern Systems

This collaboration underscores Tern Systems' commitment to providing scalable, modern ATM solutions that meet the demands of evolving regional airports. We look forward to working alongside Easat and the Cornwall Airport Newquay team to enhance the safety and efficiency of the skies over Cornwall.

Tern Systems Hosts Visioneering Session in Budapest

On March 11th, Tern Systems hosted a Visioneering Session at our Budapest office, gathering a selected group of industry leaders and innovators to discuss the technical and regulatory evolution of Air Traffic Management. 

The event featured guests from four air navigation service providers, Isavia ANS, HungaroControl, Slovenia Control, and Austro Control. As well as representatives from the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF), FlightRadar24, and the SESAR3 Joint Undertaking.

The day opened with a presentation from Magnús Már Þórðarson, CEO of Tern Systems, who addressed current trends in the industry. 

Magnús highlighted the unique perspective of independent, agile vendors, emphasizing that we are currently in the midst of a technological revolution that has the power to reshape the industry. A key theme of his address was the tension between the industry’s inherent conservatism, driven by safety-critical requirements, and the urgent need for innovation. 

He concluded by urging partners to embrace the current technological shift as an opportunity to move forward, emphasising that collective influence is necessary to ensure the industry evolves in a way that makes sense for the entire ecosystem.

Polaris and the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

Gunnar Þór Magnússon (Senior Research Engineer) and Davíð Sindri Pétursson (Software Architect) provided a technical deep dive into Tern’s journey with Polaris, our second-generation ATM system. Ten years ago, Tern’s systems lived in single code repositories with "grown" rather than "designed" code, relying on mutable shared state which made modification and scaling difficult. Polaris, which started development in 2015, was built from the ground up as a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).

The team explained how Tern leverages open-source tools, using Protocol Buffers for interface definitions and gRPC for network communication. By using Docker and virtual machines, they demonstrated that they could move from unpacking hardware to running simulated traffic in less than an hour. The SOA model allows for parallel development of individual Polaris components like Surveillance Data Processors and Safety Net Servers, which have already been delivered as the backup system for HungaroControl.

While praising the industry’s move toward SOA, the team offered critical insights into the SESAR roadmap. They warned that the 50 "level-two" services specified may present high operational loads and suggested a more flexible approach where one instance can handle multiple services to maintain data locality. They also stressed the urgent need for defined inputs and outputs, noting that a less formal version delivered immediately is preferable to a formal specification years away. Finally, while supportive of orchestration, they cautioned that running Kubernetes in a safety-critical ATM environment is significantly more complex than it appears on paper.

The Roadmap: SDO8 and the Decade of Transition

Alan Siebert detailed the SDO8 deployment priority, outlining Europe’s ten-year transition to a new ATM service delivery model. 

The goal is to change almost every level of ATM infrastructure within a decade. This transition involves a two-phase roadmap.

Phase 1 focuses on certification for system design and Data Processing Operators by 2027, while Phase 2 envisions cloud computing platforms being acceptable for safety-critical services in the 2030s. As a result of these developments, SD08 will permit the adoption of a multi-vendor model by ANSPs, where open platforms and interfaces allow integration of components from various system providers. ANSPs will be able to have a system that serves their needs, using reliable components from trusted providers, all certified to be interoperable and reliable under operational conditions. 

Following the presentations, the group transitioned into a collaborative workshop to discuss what the ATM ecosystem would look like in 10 years. Key topics included a discussion on how the industry can move towards the ATSP - ADSP separation, where data provision is separated from the provision of air traffic control, and also on how the new service delivery model can be a potential enabler of more flexible software solutions for ANSPs, thus avoiding vendor lock-in. Participants also discussed creating incentives for airspace users to share data and fostering trust in cross-border information, such as weather data exchange between countries. The participants discussed the need of integrating ATM with Unmanned Traffic Management and eventually Space Traffic Management to handle returning space objects and other emerging operational challenges.

The session concluded with a commitment to proactive engagement through a 2026 Action Plan. Tern Systems intends to enter into an even more active collaboration with EASA, not only through project activities but also by reaching out to EUROCAE through its various working groups and taking the initiatives to be a creative partner in the standardisation process. By exploring the frontier of "Automatic Certification", our goal is to replace traditional bottlenecks with a streamlined, test-driven approval process that gets critical technology into the field faster.