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FAA Taps ITT Corp. And GE's Naverus To Develop Nextgen RNP Procedures By Daniel Baxter |
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May 13, 2012 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
is awarding a contract to ITT Exelis and GE's Naverus to
help accelerate the development of satellite-based
procedures that will allow aircraft to fly more directly
to their destinations.
Under the $2.77 million contract, ITT Exelis, the prime
contractor, and GE's Naverus, the sub-contractor, will
develop Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach
procedures into five airports: Ted Stevens Anchorage
International, James M. Cox Dayton International,
Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (Kansas City),
General Mitchell International (Milwaukee) and Syracuse
Hancock International.
RNP is a type of performance-based navigation (PBN) that allows an aircraft to fly a specific path between two 3-dimensionally defined points in space. RNAV and RNP systems are fundamentally similar. |
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The key difference between them is the requirement for
on-board performance monitoring and alerting. A navigation
specification that includes a requirement for on-board
navigation performance monitoring and alerting is referred
to as an RNP specification. One not having such a
requirement is referred to as an RNAV specification.
ITT Exelis and GE's Naverus will be responsible for designing,
implementing and maintaining a total of 10 procedures, two for
each airport. The FAA will closely monitor the work to make sure
all safety and environmental steps are conducted properly. This
effort will supplement the FAA's work to develop RNP procedures
for airports across the country. The FAA has developed 305 RNP
procedures.
RNP also refers to the level of performance required for a
specific procedure or a specific block of airspace. An RNP of 10
means that a navigation system must be able to calculate its
position to within a circle with a radius of 10 nautical miles.
An RNP of 0.3 means the aircraft navigation system must be able
to calculate its position to within a circle with a radius of 3
tenths of a nautical mile.
"If you imagine highways in the sky, then these are high-speed
off ramps," said Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
"Aircraft using RNP approaches make a more direct and efficient
approach into the airport, also decreasing fuel burn." |