What are Abars?
Precise, accurate braking reports
Unparalleled insight into the braking friction available to pilots who are about to land
Aircraft Braking Action Reports (ABARs) are at the heart of AST's runway uptime ecosystem. These science-based reports create the foundational intelligence that powers everything we do, including our Hard-Brake Landing reports and Friction Forecasting.
ABARs fuel the insights that feed our mission – helping airports optimize their airside operations, efficiency, and safety.
ABARs are objective, accurate, data-based reports that precisely measure braking performance, confirming the actual braking action — the wheel braking coefficient — experienced by a landing aircraft.
Every time an aircraft lands. a real-time ABAR is generated by AST software using data taken directly from the plane's sensors. This report is instantly distributed to airports so they can ascertain the exact condition of their runways and what to do about it. The report is also shared with airlines, towers, and, of course, the next pilots on approach – pilots that want to know what to expect when the wheels touch down.
How good was the braking friction available to the previous pilot? If the runway surface was contaminated or degraded – exactly how bad was it? ABARs provide answers based on science, not subjectivity.
AST's ABAR technology is the world's most comprehensive. Our reports are ASTM International-compliant and recommended by both the FAA and Transport Canada.
Data-driven.
Accurate.
Precise.
Predictable.
For ANY modern aircraft.
AST's ABAR reports pull approved data directly from an aircraft’s existing sensors, then analyze it in an aircraft performance model that incorporates aircraft weight, brake pressure, engine thrust, wing size, and more. The reports provide data-driven insights about braking friction that supplement common reporting formats like RCAMs, FICONs, and NOTAMs. ABARs calculate a range of deceleration forces impacting braking that can include:
Aerodynamic drag: resistance caused by airflow over the aircraft's surfaces
Thrust reversers: engine mechanisms that redirect thrust forward to slow the aircraft
Wheel brakes: mechanical braking systems that engage upon landing
Spoilers: panels on the wings that deploy in-flight and after touchdown to reduce lift and increase drag
Lift dumpers: devices that rapidly reduce lift by fully deploying the spoilers, transferring the aircraft's weight onto the wheels for more effective braking after touchdown
Rolling resistance: friction between the aircraft’s tires and the runway surface
Runway slope: the incline or decline of the runway, which either helps slow the aircraft (uphill) or increase speed (downhill)
Endorsed by FAA and Transport Canada
The FAA and Transport Canada recommend ABAR technology for measuring and reporting on braking action and runway conditions. ABARs supplement RCAMs, FICONs, NOTAMs, and other reports with precise, accurate, and objective data about the actual braking performance of landing aircraft. Using science, not subjectivity, pilots, airlines, and airports can make critical decisions with higher confidence. The regulators' main goal? Stop runway excursions—before they happen.
For airports:
No more using "eye tests" to determine runway conditions, available braking friction, or when to schedule maintenance. Science-based ABARs enable smarter decisions around airside operations to help keep flight plans on track, optimize runway usage, and reduce the costs associated with plowing and chemical treatments.
For airlines and pilots:
No more landing approaches based on subjective PIREPs from recent landings. No more guessing the conditions of runways you’re about to land on. With data-driven insights from ABARs, pilots know their available braking deceleration with certainty.
Supplement RCAMs, FICONs, and NOTAMs with reports for any aircraft model
Our ABARs are completely aircraft-agnostic. Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier—ABARnet™ reports on any modern hull. Subscribers have access to advanced braking data for any fleet and operating region. And joining the network is easy. Airlines can onboard fleets virtually overnight and scale deployment at a comfortable pace. Plus, ABARnet reports can seamlessly integrate into your existing reporting formats, with minimal impact on SOPs.
ASTM-COMPLIANT
Complies with ASTM International E3266 Standard
Industry approved
The ABARnet™ braking measurement and reporting network has demonstrated full compliance with ASTM International’s Standard E3266 for Friction-Limited Aircraft Braking Measurements and Reporting. Standard E3266 was authored by a subcommittee of the Society of Aircraft Performance and Operations Engineers (SAPOE), comprised of engineers from several U.S. carriers, FAA, Boeing, and Airbus. It was published in November 2020. Compliance with the standard was reaffirmed by Aviation Safety Technologies at the SAPOE Conference in October, 2021.
Science-based, data-driven
Standard E3266 embraces the use of science for measuring braking friction and is accelerating the global acceptance of ABARs as the preferred methodology for reducing the risk of runway excursions.
The E3266 standard:
Applies to systems that measure and report on braking forces and runway friction.
Applies to any automated system that uses data pulled from an aircraft to create an Aircraft Braking Action Report (ABAR).
