Requirements For GPS-Based Aircraft Carrier Precision Approach and Landing

Greg Johnson and Ian Gallimore

Abstract:	The FAA is currently developing requirements and specifications for a Category I-III approach and landing system. The Navy also requires an equivalent approach and landing system for aircraft carrier flight operations. However, there are several challenges for a GPS based shipboard landing system over and above its shore-based counterpart. The touchdown point and GPS reference station are in motion through six degrees of freedom. No assumptions can be made on the dynamics of the ground station because the ship's acceleration bandwidth is as wide as a typical aircraft on approach, which makes correcting for data link latency difficult. The multipath environment is much more complicated because of the multitude of reflecting surfaces on the aircraft carrier. The shipboard landing system must be much more accurate than the Category III shore based landing system, because the touchdown window only is only 40 meters long. The aircraft must be traveling at a speed that will not stall the aircraft, because the aircraft must be able safely fly away from the deck in the event it fails to attach its tail-hook to one of four arresting wires. Because of the high speed and short landing window, the position solution must not be in error by more that one foot vertical. The data link must be able to support high rate GPS and inertial measurement data that is required for approach and landing in addition to exhibiting Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) characteristics. Raytheon Navigation and Landing Systems has developed prototype approach and landing system which features an LPI data link and a high accuracy carrier phase based position solution. This prototype has been tested and delivered to the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), Patuxent River, MD. This paper will describe the technical requirements of a ship-based approach and landing system and the past test activities, using the NAWC prototype, that support the development of these requirements.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1998) September 15 - 18, 1998 Nashville, TN
Pages:	541 - 550
Cite this article:	Johnson, Greg, Gallimore, Ian, "Requirements For GPS-Based Aircraft Carrier Precision Approach and Landing," Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1998), Nashville, TN, September 1998, pp. 541-550.
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