Raytheon Hits GPS Milestone

Raytheon Company completed the final system acceptance test to augment standard GPS signals over India, a milestone, the company said, in the transition to satellite-based navigation for civil aviation. The latest test of the GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation-Technology Demonstration System, or GAGAN-TDS, the Raytheon system demonstrated ground elements could integrate with a geosynchronous satellite over India and generate a test signal that conformed to international requirements for the Indian flight information region. Raytheon also demonstrated that the time from signal generation to transmission to the satellite and reception back on the ground was less than the 6.2-second requirement. GAGAN monitors GPS satellite signals for errors and then generates correction messages to improve positioning accuracy for users. The system also augments standard GPS signals to support international and domestic flights during approach, at the terminal and on the ground. The Wide Area Augmentation System is operational in North America, and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau recently commissioned the MTSAT Satellite-based Augmentation System.