Honeywell Tests Alternative Navigation Technology In Response To 5G And GPS DoS
On 20th April 2022, Honeywell Aerospace announced that it had successfully tested advanced navigation technologies (ANT) to help ensure seamless aircraft navigation, even if ‘GPS signals are blocked, interrupted, or unavailable.’
Honeywell saw this as an opportunity to meet their customers' needs across varying fleets by developing a scalable modular solution.
They conducted tests using an Embraer E170 airplane and an Augusta Westland AW139 helicopter, and Honeywell’s ANTs are designed to provide essential position, velocity, and heading without GPS signals and are available in three versions: Vision (compares live camera feed with maps), Celestial (back-to-basics navigation by stars), and Magnetic Anomaly (measures the earth’s magnetic strength and compares it with magnetic maps). Honeywell had also demonstrated an inertial navigation system paired with the GPSDome (an anti-jamming device) and was confident in its ability to retain position accuracy and integrity using RADAR. The author anticipates an increased need for onboard storage and updated base maps whether of the sky, terrain, or magnetic poles) alongside the perfunctory GPS updates.
There is no word yet on whether those ‘updates’ will be free or for fee, but there is something to be said for necessity being the mother of invention, and time will tell how the technology and pricing will ultimately evolve.
Look for initial deliveries in early 2023.
At the beginning of 2021, telecommunication providers AT&T and Verizon activated their 5G service across the United States, causing concern, worry, and the potential cancellation of flights due to anticipated interference with sensitive instruments such as the altimeter, particularly in low-visibility conditions. While the FAA issued some AD’s and reams of NOTAMS warning of possible interference, it took pushback from the industry to force the carriers to agree to create ‘buffer zones’ around 50 or so of the big and busy airports.
Others have argued that Europe and elsewhere have 5G without our issues; however, it would appear that the US implementation went with maximum signal strength and a lateral throw, quite different from our foreign counterparts. Besides, the 5G debacle is the intentional GPS outage created by our US-based military operations where their GPS jamming activities were becoming increasingly bothersome to general aviation (GA). It will be interesting to see if these 'solutions' will be scaled down both in size and cost for the general aviation market.
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