THE U.S. WIDE-AREA AUGMENTATION SYSTEM (WAAS)

R. Loh, V. Wullschleger, B. Elrod, M. Lage, and F. Haas

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	GPS as provided by DOD will give civil aviation users around the world an accurate navigation system that can be used for all phases of flight except precision approach. For densely traveled airspace such as the National Airspace System (NAS) in the United States, GPS by itself does not provide the required availability to serve as the primary-means navigation system. Therefore, the FAA has designed, developed, and tested a concept called the Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS). GPS augmented by WAAS can provide the integrity, accuracy, and availability required for a primary-means navigation system for all phases of flight up to Category (CAT) I precision approach in the NAS. This paper provides a summary of the FAA’s satellite navigation program, and the strategy and plans for implementing a new satellite navigation system completely different from today’s ground-based systems. It addresses both the operational and technical considerations and requirements involved in implementing WAAS, including the cross-country flight tests that provided the needed verification to justify a contract award to build and implement an initial WAAS in 1998. The paper also addresses the worldwide expansion of WAAS so that any nation can contribute as little or as much as it wants to a worldwide seamless WAAS.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 42, Number 3
Pages:	435 - 466
Cite this article:	Loh, R., Wullschleger, V., Elrod, B., Lage, M., Haas, F., "THE U.S. WIDE-AREA AUGMENTATION SYSTEM (WAAS)", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 42, No. 3, Fall 1995, pp. 435-466.
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