C/S G.003 - INTRODUCTION TO THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM Issue 7

Incident alert data[1] is the data that is received from or generated as a result of a 406 MHz distress beacon transmission. This data is sent through the MCCs of the data distribution network to the MCC that is responsible for the final destination of the alert according to the nature of the data:

·         Incident alert data is always reported to the SAR authorities in the country in which the beacon has been registered.

·         Distress alert data with an associated location (either an encoded location in the beacon message or an independent - Doppler or DOA - location estimate) is sent to the appropriate SAR authorities associated with that location.

·         Ship Security alert data is sent only to the competent authority that has been designated by the nation in which the beacon has been registered.

·         Distress alert data from a beacon that supports a Return Link Service (RLS) capability is also sent to the Return Link Service Provider (RLSP) of the GNSS that supports the RLS used by the beacon (as identified in the beacon message).

·         Distress tracking alert data is also sent to the ICAO LADR (Location of Aircraft in Distress Repository).

The Cospas-Sarsat System is responsible for generating the distress alert data and for reporting it to the appropriate authority. The response to that alert, including the organization and conduct of the subsequent search and rescue activities, is the responsibility of the authority that has been notified of the event.