737 Outfitted With Satellite Landing System Shows Off For
Crowd
Senior military officers and pilots from the US Air Force, Army
and Navy recently got a glimpse of the way many military aircraft
will perform landings in the future, using the latest
satellite-based Precision Approach technology.
The two dozen military observers boarded a new Qantas Airways
Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 at Boeing Field January 31 and were
treated to a demonstration of Boeing's advanced GLS Global
Navigation Satellite Landing System for commercial aircraft.
Like the military's JPALS (Joint Precision Approach and Landing
System) currently under development, Boeing's GLS system uses GPS
satellite technology to provide highly accurate and stable approach
and landing guidance under the worst visibility conditions.
During the flight, the Boeing 737 successfully completed 15
GLS approaches at five different airfields in the Seattle region.
Boeing chief pilot Doug Benjamin, who flew the plane, and several
experienced military pilots who rotated in the co-pilot seat, found
GLS provided extremely accurate guidance during approaches and
landings.
The GLS demonstration flight was central to a 2-day
informational event hosted by Boeing at the specific request of the
military. The event was organized by ARINC Engineering Services,
LLC, for its long-time customer on the Land-Based JPALS program,
the Air Force Electronic Systems Center (ESC) at Hanscom Air Force
Base, MA.
"On behalf of the Air Force, I would
like to thank our hosts and the teams from Boeing and ARINC who put
this event together," stated Air Force 641st Electronic Systems
Squadron Director Eric Lekberg. "This vivid demonstration of
today's most advanced landing technology has been extremely
encouraging for the military teams working on similar
solutions."
Boeing's GLS solution works in combination with Ground-Based
Augmentation System (GBAS) ground stations, which enhance the
performance of GPS to provide the accuracy and integrity needed for
Precision Approach operations. In addition to the fixed ground
stations used for the January demonstration flight, attendees were
also shown examples of smaller GBAS ground stations in alternative
form factors, including a proof-of-concept man-portable JPALS
system whose development was recently coordinated by ARINC.
Qantas is an early adopter of GBAS technology and has been using
the Boeing GLS system in revenue service since 2006. Increasingly,
airports around the world are making plans to equip with GBAS
ground stations which require only a modest investment in airport
infrastructure and provide better performance and capability than
the existing Instrument Landing System.