Technology Recommendation

Disclaimer

The technological recommendation presents solutions meeting the requirements of the forthcoming mandate, as currently foreseen. If installed voluntarily before mandate’s entry into force, these solutions are eligible for financial support under the Special Financing scheme (BV87b). Aircraft owners and pilots who wish to benefit from this funding are encouraged to submit an application by November 30, 2026, at the latest. The request for financial support for the installation of devices to fulfil the forthcoming mandate will not be possible after this date.

For the specific case of Paragliders, delta gliders, rigid wing hang gliders, electric hang gliders, see the relevant page.

Please be aware that the mandate remains subject to change until its publication: the technology recommendation reflects its current status.

The goal of FASST-CH Program is to ensure that all traffic in Swiss airspace will be electronically visible. The aviation community is highly diverse, and users’ needs vary considerably. Consequently, suitable technologies also vary across the different user categories.

The forthcoming mandate and the resulting recommendation build on the thousands of devices that are already in use by the general aviation community.

Forthcoming mandate

To achieve electronic visibility, a mandate based on following two measures is currently being prepared:

• Article 29 of the VRV-L is to be extended to cover gliders and balloons.
• All manned aircraft operating under VFR in class G and E must be electronically visible, using a technology as prescribed by EASA for the implementation of SERA 6005(c).

Proposed standards

Air-to-air interoperability will be achieved through migrating to a minimum set of open standards with software updates on existing equipment or with new equipment. Re‑broadcasting of data via a ground network will further support the interoperability of existing installations.

The proposed open standards are ADS-B Out on 1090 MHz and ADS-L Out in the SRD 860 MHz frequency band. While the former is almost exclusively used in certified installations, the latter can be used in installed or portable devices.

What does this mean, specifically, for aircraft operating under VFR?

• For gliders and balloons:
  Under the forthcoming mandate, gliders and balloons will need to be equipped with at least one Mode S transponder. If this transponder already supports ADS-B Out, no further action is expected to be needed. If not, the transponder would need to either be upgraded to ADS-B Out, or an ADS-L Out device would need to be installed.
• For powered aircraft:
  Motorized aircraft equipped with Mode S transponders without ADS-B Out will need to either upgrade their transponders to ADS-B Out or install an ADS-L Out device.
• For paragliders and delta gliders:
  Paragliders and delta gliders will need to be equipped with an ADS-L Out device

Financial support for e‑conspicuity devices and for the Upgrading from Mode S to ADS‑B out is available via Special Financing BV87.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found in the FAQ.

Category-specific recommendations