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SERVICE PAPER

GLOBAL LANDING SYSTEM

By Wg Cdr V Ravi (18100-L) F(P)

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GLOBAL LANDING SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

1. Celestial bodies have always attracted the attention of the man on the earth. These celestial bodies have been used by us for defining direction while travelling from one place to another on the earth especially over the oceans. Aviators were no different. However, their significance appeared to be on the decline due to rapid development of terrestrial based radio navigation aids during the last three decades. The developments in the field of man made satellites and their use for navigation and communication in aviation has made us look into space for guidance all over again. Global Positioning System (GPS) using satellites is able to give us accuracies of a very high order. The accuracy, reliability and availability of GPS navigation is the corner stone upon which the architecture of Future Air Navigation System (FANS) is being built. The main requirement of FANS was to enhance flight safety, efficiency, economy and capacity. FANS envisaged a transition from terrestrial based communication, navigation and surveillance system (CNS) to a satellite based CNS system by the turn of the century. 2. The basic GPS accuracy is within 10 m for P code and 100 m for CA code. However, in certain applications like collision avoidance, geophysical survey of remote areas, off shore oil explorations, harbour approaches and physical oceanography operations the need for accuracy of the order of a few metres cannot be met by the conventional GPS. The need to provide better accuracies thus led to the development of the concept of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). By using DGPS method the real time position accuracy could be increased to about 10 m or less. Exploitation of similar techniques led to the development of Global Landing System (GLS). The aviation pundits predict that

GLS would become fully operational by the year 2003. In the mean time nonprecision approaches to a decision height of 200 feet (60m) using normal GPS signals have been demonstrated in the recent past.

Differential Global Positioning System 3. DGPS Concept. To develop capabilities of precision approaches of Cat I, II and III standards up gradation of the reliability of normal GPS signals is required. Use of DGPS technique provides both integrity and improved navigation accuracy. The GPS satellites are monitored at accurately surveyed locations by the satellite receivers. These receivers are called Reference Receivers (RR). The ground monitoring station compares the GPS computed position with the true surveyed position of the RR. The errors resulting from the source of GPS signals are determined. These errors would also be affecting GPS receivers of aircraft operating in the vicinity. Appropriate error corrections are broadcast through a differential transmitter to the aircraft by way of a data link. These ground based differential transmitters which transmit a signal like that of an actual GPS signal are called Pseudolites. These signals can be used for ranging. 4. Correction Message. The function of ground station is to calculate and transmit to the user a differential correction for each satellite vehicle (SV) that is considered valid. An SV is considered valid if it is having an elevation angle greater than 10 degrees and a receiver calculated carrier to noise ratio greater than 35 db. The correction message for each satellite vehicle contains the following data:(a) SV identification number (b) Time of correction (c) Pseudo range correction (d) Pseudo range correction rate. 5. Accuracy. By applying the corrections to the GPS signals received an aircraft can typically improve the accuracy down to five meters. As the distance between the aircraft and the RR increases, accuracy in the aircraft receiver degrades because projection of ephemeris error onto the user satellite line of site

is no longer the same as the monitor station satellite line of sight. Hence, corrections from DGPS are available and accurate only over limited area. 6. Errors in DGPS System
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Selective Availability. It is an artificial error in GPS signals induced by the Department of Defense (DOD) to decrease the navigational accuracy . DOD set an accuracy of 100 m averaged over a period of 24 hours world wide. This means that during a particular period the navigation error can exceed 100 m. SA introduces a slowly varying but unknown delay into the time of satellite ephemeris data causing temporal and spatial decor relation respectively. This error though can be reduced to a large extent by the RR cannot be removed completely. Ionospheric and Tropospheric Delays . Ionospheric and Tropospheric delays are particularly large and complex and cannot be determined accurately. As the signal from satellite to the aircraft and RR travels through slightly different atmospheric volume, the Ionospheric delays will be different slightly. Typical errors due to this in the DGPS mode are usually less than a meter. Tropospheric Refraction. Tropospheric delay for each aircraft receiver may be different from RR due to different local tropospheric condition. Local condition such as atmospheric pressure, temperature and water vapour cause the delay and refraction of GPS satellite signals. Multipath Errors. Multiple path errors result from the combination of signals from more than one propagation path distorting the signal characteristics at the RR. Sometimes the rejected signal is as strong as the direct signal enabling the RR to track reflected signals instead of direct signals. The magnitude of multipath error

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depends upon the strength of the reflected signal and the ability of users antenna to resist the reflected signal. The strength of the reflected signal is dependent on a reflection coefficient of the reflection surface that varies not only with a difference in the ground coarseness but with a difference in ground plant quills. For example the reflection co-efficient at a particular frequency (say 3 GHZ) would be different for water, general ground and forest.
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Residual Clock Bias Error. This typically 1.5 meters entirely eliminated by DGPS. Ephemeris Errors. This is the error in prediction of satellite position. This error is a function of aircraft RR separation. The satellites transmit ephemeredes which contain information to calculate the position of the satellites. This is updated in all satellites at the beginning of every hour. Therefore, it is likely that the ac and RR may be using different ephemeredes to compute position or differential correction. This can be as much as 1.5 m of error in computation of position. Geometric Position Error. It is quite possible that the satellites visible to the aircraft may not be visible to the receiver.

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7. Propagation Aspects of Data Link. The modes of propagation being considered for data link to the aircraft is short range using VHF/UHF data link 30300 MHZ range around 75 kms. 8. Implementation Schedule. The first 12 WAAS station covering the perimeter of the United States of America are scheduled to be completed by Oct 97 and the final 12 by May 98. Inmarsat is planning the launch of its first Inmarsat III satellite (the first with GPS transponder) in Feb 96 followed by another launch

every three to four months, thereafter an operational constellation by the middle of 97 with one spare satellite parked in the orbit.

Local Area Differential Global Positioning System (LADGPS) 9. LADGPS is based on the principle of DGPS seen earlier. A GPS RR is located at a known location referenced to a point known with respect to a runway. The monitoring station calculates the errors in GPS satellites signals which are then directly transmitted to the airborne receiver which is receiving the same satellite signals. The airborne receiver corrects for common error sources and computes a highly accurate navigation solution. In addition to the satellite signal errors, the desired approach path is also transmitted to the aircrafts receiver. Using these signals the airborne receiver is capable of establishing and achieving a precision glide path to the required runway. 10. Ground Installations. The ground installations among other things would have the following:(a) (b) (c) (d) Local Reference GPS receivers. Differential Computers. Differential Data Link Transmitters. Differential Monitoring Ground Station.

11. Airborne Equipment. The airborne receivers would be same as the conventional GPS receivers. The outputs from this receiver could be used like conventional ILS meters defining the precision path. Signals from the receiver could also be used for autothrottle functions to achieve CATIII auto land capabilities. The flight critical approach data base i.e. way point defining glide paths will be stored in GLS itself. Many types of cockpit displays are under trials.

Some manufacturers have evolved multimode receivers (MMR). These MMRs are capable of receiving ILS, MLS or GLS signals. 12. Present state of Development. More than 110 automatic landings were conducted at California, U S A. These trials used two ground based pseudolite beacons developed by Stanford University and Trimble Navigation airborne receivers and DGPS round stations. CAT I and CAT II landing capability of DGPS is now well established. CAT III Landing capabilities are awaiting FAA / ICAO approvals. Many renowned companies like Boeing and Airbus Industries are actively involved in development of GLS.

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Advantages of LADGPS. (a) A single differential ground station can serve all the facilities in a large regional area. Differential corrections provide high accuracy throughout the region where the data link signals can be received. Additional runways or other facilities can be added by providing additional flight path co-ordinates. A LADGPS station can serve departure, terminal, precision approach, landing and surface navigation requirements for all the aircrafts in the region. Differential ground station requires no calibration. This is because the differential ground station is in fact a calibration device for the GPS satellite signals. If the ground station recognises any error in either the satellite signals or the ground station, it can terminate the differential correction transmission and provide warning to the airborne equipment. A ground station can provide both approach and missed approach guidance. This is because the signal is not limited to the approach path but present in omni direction. Many decision heights are based on the terrain requirements of the

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missed approach. Due to the capability of the system to provide missed approach guidance will lower the required approach decision height. (e) LADGPS will aid the airborne equipment in providing curved and parallel approach capability. It is possible to design GPS approaches with fixed dimensions tunnels that meet the safety requirements of parallel approaches.

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DGPS also provides a distance to runway function. This function can be used for pilot alerts, control gains and display information. Airborne equipment is envisaged to be significantly simple, highly computerised, easy upgrade or modify and operational. Single equipment is to be used for departure, enroute, precision approach landing phases of flight. The same equipment would also be used for surface movement of the aircraft. Cost of LADGPS installation is roughly one third of ILS or MLS. LADGPS can also provide guidance to surface support vehicles of an airfield.

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14. Accuracy. It is expected that a LADGPS would provide 1.5 meter horizontal and two meter vertical accuracy within the range of data link signal. Use of DGPS in Precision Guided Munitions (PGMS) 15. GBU-15 glide bombs modified with INS/GPS were dropped from US Air Force F-16s with a mean accuracy of 5 meters (16 feet) or better in recent tests using DGPS to enhance precision guidance. Six bombs were released at altitudes of 24000 feet 30000 feet at 22-25 km slant ranges. DGPS corrections

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were data linked from a ground station to the aircraft before weapon release. Precise current position and target location were then down loaded to the weapon. After the launch the GBU-15 guided itself to the target using INS/GPS system on board. A mean bomb miss distance of 4 meters was achieved against horizontal targets and 5 meters against vertical targets. Exploitation of DGPS for guidance enhancement has demonstrated that an all weather launch and leave PGM capability can be achieved without expensive targeting or terminal guidance system.

Problem Areas. 16. (a) Acceptance of GLS as a world wide precision approach aid may mean phasing out of ILS and MLS. MLS may have to be phased out much ahead of the schedule in which cost of installation borne by many countries would be a major factor. On the other hand installation of GLS capabilities of international standards would involve fresh capital investment (b) The DOD of USA controls the GPS military satellites. As yet there is no concrete understanding reached between the world aviation community and DOD on a long term basis. The FAA satellite Navigation Program manager Mr Dornflour summed up the situation very clearly. He said, There are ways that signal degradation can be done, not only with WAAS but with the GPS signals as well from the source. The 100 meters accuracy DOD provides can be changed if the President of USA says to do so.

CONCLUSION 17. Introduction of a new navigation and approach and landing system has always taken a significant amount of time. The delay in implementation of an international system is the result of the time it takes to develop standards which meet the stringent aviation demands in terms of safety, accuracy, reliability etc. The rate at which GPS is being integrated into the international navigation system

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is a testimonial to the inherent benefits of a satellite navigation system. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before GLS would become a primary precision landing aid world wide.

( V Ravi ) Wg Cdr 25 Sqn, AF Date :