Northrop Grumman Provides Airport Ground Station for First Satellite-Based Landing System
LONDON, November 21
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), through its Europe-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, has developed and installed the ground-based elements of the world's only certified global navigation satellite system for precision approach and landing installed at Bronnoysund Airport, Norway. The inaugural flight using the new landing system was an Avinor charter service from Trondheim to Bronnoysund in a Wideroe Dash 8 aircraft and took place last month.
Park Air Systems provided the ground station system under contract awarded by Norwegian air navigation service provider, Avinor.
"The system is ideally suited for use in airports where, due to the geographical conditions, it is not economically feasible to install a conventional instrument landing system," said Cato Engebretson, director of navigation systems at Park Air Systems in Norway. "This technology development will help improve safety particularly at the smaller regional airports in Norway."
The NORMARC 8005 SCAT-I ground station receives and validates GPS signals and then transmits the calculated signal corrections and flight path data via a VHF data link. SCAT-I avionics uses the received signal 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.
Under the delivery contract, Park Air Systems will also provide SCAT-I satellite-based landing systems at up to 25 airports over the next 3 years.
The ground station at Bronnoysund Airport, located 500 miles north of Oslo on the Helgeland coast, was operationally certified in April 2007.
Bronnoysund is the first airport in the world to use satellite-based landing guidance for passenger flights.
"The flight into Bronnoysund Airport marks the start of an ongoing project to equip airports throughout the region with the technologically advanced equipment needed," said Steinar Hamar, the SCAT-I project manager of Avinor.
Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, based in Peterborough, UK and Oslo and Horten, Norway, supplies communication, navigation and surveillance systems for air-space operations worldwide.
In Europe, Northrop Grumman operates from locations in France, Germany, Italy and Norway, providing navigation, air traffic control and postal automation systems. In the UK, Northrop Grumman operates from primary locations in London, Fareham, Chester, Coventry, New Malden, Peterborough, RAF Waddington and Solihull and provides avionics, communications, electronic warfare systems, marine navigation systems, robotics, C4I and mission planning, IT systems and software development.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a US$30 billion global defence and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Web site: www.northropgrumman.com
Source: Northrop Grumman Corporation
Ken Beedle,
+44-0207-747-1910,
or +44-07787-174092,
Ken.beedle@euro.ngc.com, or
Paul C. Cabellon,
+1-410-765-7192,
paul.cabellon@ngc.com,
both of Northrop Grumman Corporation
