Northrop Grumman Subsidiary Installed Norway's Satellite Landing System

Northrop Grumman Corporation's European-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, developed and installed the ground-based elements of the SCAT-I (special category one) precision approach and landing system that will now be used for regular operations at Brønnøysund Norway.

A Widerøe Dash 8, operating as an Avinor charter from Trondheim to Brønnøysund, flew the inaugural flight in late October using Park Air's GNSS (global navigation satellite system) local ground augmentation.  Avinor is Norway's ANSP (air navigation service provider), which awarded the contract to Park Air to provide what is described as currently the world's only certified ground station system.

Cato Engebretson, Park Air Systems' director of navigation systems in Norway, described the system as being ideally suited for use in airports where terrain, or other conditions, makes a convention ILS (instrument landing system) infeasible. "This technology development will help improve safety particularly at the smaller regional airports in Norway," Mr. Engebretson said.

The NORMARC 8005 ground station receives and validates GPS signals and then transmits the calculated signal corrections and flight path data via a VHF datalink to an aircraft's complimentary SLS (satellite landing system) avionics 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.

Northrop Grumman says Brønnøysund's ground station was operationally certified last April, making the airport, the first in the world to regularly use satellite-based landing guidance for passenger flights.  Air Services Australia is moving closer to implementing GBAS (ground-based augmentation system) services in that country as well.

"The flight into Brønnøysund Airport marks the start of an ongoing project to equip airports throughout the region with the technologically advanced equipment needed," said Steinar Hamar, Avinor's SCAT-I project manager. 11-23-2007.

Click here to become a registered Flt Tech Online subscriber and receive headlines delivered to your e-mail each week

Click here to go back to the headlines