AirNav Systems

In 1996, while studying computer science at university, CEO, Andre Brandao developed a flight tracking application called AirNav Suite. In 2001 he established AirNav Systems.[7]

In early 2020, AirNav Systems announced a partnership with venture capital firm BrightCap Ventures.[8][9] The same year, the company was chosen by ARGUS International, Inc to provide global flight and ground aircraft tracking services.[10]

In October 2020, Satellite-based ADS-B data was made available to all Radarbox users for free. AirNav Systems currently partners with multiple satellite providers including Spire Aviation to provide satellite-based tracking on its platform.[11][12]

RadarBox is frequently cited, and its data is used in globally renowned news outlets such as Bloomberg, CNN, the Financial Times, and the New York Times.[13] For instance, in June 2022, the New York Times cited RadarBox in its report about wealthy Russians fleeing the country before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[14] Further, in March 2021, the Financial Times obtained and used flight records from RadarBox in an article following the disappearance of Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma.[15] It also acquired the flight records for its report on Fu Xiaotian, a Chinese TV presenter linked to a missing foreign minister who had a surrogate child in the US.[16] Bloomberg also used RadarBox flight data to report how the rapid recovery in air travel highlighted a massive shortage in staffing at European airports and airlines in 2022.[17] Additionally, RadarBox flight records were used in a Bloomberg article about the German Foreign Minister’s Plane being Stranded in UAE en Route to Australia in August, 2023.[18] In March, 2022, RadarBox flight tracking data was also used by the UK news outlet The Guardian to report on the whereabouts of Roman Abramovich’s private jet following UK sanctions on the Russian Oligarch.[19]

AirNav Systems is the parent company of Radarbox which displays flight data in real-time from all over the world. Radarbox aggregates data from 10 different sources:[20]

• ADS-B (Ground-based): The source of this data are terrestrial ADS-B receivers, which receive and collect data from the transponders of aircraft flying within the ADS-B receivers’ range. The data gathered by these terrestrial ADS-B receivers include, aircraft speed, position, registration information and other data. These ADS-B receivers usually operate at 1090 MHz. Radarbox also receives flight data from UAT 978 MHz as well.
• ADS-B (Satellite-based): Aircraft transponder data is collected by Satellites equipped with ADS-B receivers. This data is then sent to AirNav Radarbox's servers for processing
• FAA SWIM: The Federal Aviation Administration System Wide Information Management data comes directly from the FAA's domestic radar systems and contains data on virtually all aircraft flying in US airspace. This data source includes real-time position data, flight plans, departures, arrivals, routes, waypoints.
• EUROCONTROL: In addition to flight position, registration and other data, EUROCONTROL data allows for access to flight plans and other operational information of aircraft and airports operating in the EURCONTROL region.
• MLAT: Multilateration or MLAT is a surveillance technique based on the measurement of the difference in distance to four stations at known locations by broadcast signals at known times. This data source allows for tracking of aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B transponders.
• OCEANIC: Oceanic position data from the FAA is reported for all major trans-oceanic routes (Atlantic and Pacific).
• ADS-C: The source of data here is an aircraft broadcasting its position at fixed intervals, typically between 5 and 30 minutes. Data is exchanged between the ground system and the aircraft, via a data link, specifying under what conditions ADS-C reports would be initiated, and what data would be contained in the reports.
• HFDL: These position reports are received from a High Frequency Data Link system, where air traffic controllers can communicate with pilots over a datalink connection. Aircraft and ground stations make use of high frequency radio signals in order to communicate.
• FLIFO: This data is provided by several external sources such as airports and airlines. This commercial data includes the departure time, arrival time, origin airport, destination airport, among other parameters.
• ASDE-X: Data from ASDE-X is received from a surface movement radar located in an airport's ATC Tower or remote tower, multilateration sensors, ADS-B sensors, terminal radars, the terminal automation system, and from aircraft transponders. It is provided by the FAA.