Northrop Grumman Provides Airport Ground Station For First Satellite-Based Landing System

Northrop Grumman Provides Airport Ground Station For First Satellite-Based Landing System

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Northrop_Grumman_Provides_Airport_Ground_Station_For_First_Satellite_Based_Landing_System_999.html

by Staff Writers
Bronnoysund Airport, Norway (SPX) Nov 22, 2007

Northrop Grumman, through its Europe-based subsidiary, Park Air
Systems, has developed and installed the ground-based elements of the
world's only certified global navigation satellite system for
precision approach and landing installed at Broennoeysund Airport,
Norway. The inaugural flight using the new landing system was an
Avinor charter service from Trondheim to Broennoeysund in a Wideroee
Dash 8 aircraft and took place last month.

Park Air Systems provided the ground station system under contract
awarded by Norwegian air navigation service provider, Avinor.

"The system is ideally suited for use in airports where, due to the
geographical conditions, it is not economically feasible to install a
conventional instrument landing system," said Cato Engebretson,
director of navigation systems at Park Air Systems in Norway. "This
technology development will help improve safety particularly at the
smaller regional airports in Norway."

The NORMARC 8005 SCAT-I ground station receives and validates GPS
signals and then transmits the calculated signal corrections and
flight path data via a VHF data link. SCAT-I avionics uses the
received signal to improve position accuracy and signal integrity
along a defined flight path. One ground station can serve several
approaches for both ends of the runway thereby creating a
cost-effective solution.

Under the delivery contract, Park Air Systems will also provide
SCAT-I satellite-based landing systems at up to 25 airports over the
next 3 years.

The ground station at Broennoeysund Airport, located 500 miles north
of Oslo on the Helgeland coast, was operationally certified in April
2007. Broennoeysund is the first airport in the world to use
satellite-based landing guidance for passenger flights.

"The flight into Broennoeysund Airport marks the start of an ongoing
project to equip airports throughout the region with the
technologically advanced equipment needed," said Steinar Hamar, the
SCAT-I project manager of Avinor.

Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, based in Peterborough, UK and Oslo
and Horten, Norway, supplies communication, navigation and
surveillance systems for air-space operations worldwide.

In Europe, Northrop Grumman operates from locations in France,
Germany, Italy and Norway, providing navigation, air traffic control
and postal automation systems. In the UK, Northrop Grumman operates
from primary locations in London, Fareham, Chester, Coventry, New
Malden, Peterborough, RAF Waddington and Solihull and provides
avionics, communications, electronic warfare systems, marine
navigation systems, robotics, C4I and mission planning, IT systems
and software development.


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