WAAS static Raytheon W
WAAS static Raytheon W

WAAS makes airports with out ground-based navigation obtainable to pilots. (Picture: Raytheon)

WAAS displays and evaluates all GPS alerts over North America to allow pilots to fly utilizing augmented GPS knowledge for precision touchdown and enroute navigation

Raytheon Intelligence & House, a Raytheon Applied sciences enterprise, has been awarded a aggressive indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract from the Federal Aviation Administration with a ceiling worth of $375 million over the subsequent 10 years.

Job orders, valued at $215 million, have been executed at contract award to offer technical refresh and dual-frequency operation (DFO) upgrades to the FAA’s Broad-Space Augmentation System (WAAS) to offer safer air journey in help of the Nationwide Airspace System.

WAAS displays and evaluates all GPS alerts over North America to allow pilots to fly utilizing augmented GPS knowledge for safety-of-life missions similar to precision touchdown and enroute navigation. The system permits pilots to securely land in locations beforehand inaccessible due to the airport location or climate. It additionally makes airports with out ground-based navigation obtainable to pilots.

Underneath the WAAS DFO-2 contract, Raytheon will ship extra trendy, and subsequently sustainable, processing, system safety, and community structure, whereas additionally including dual-frequency service.

“There isn’t any margin for error throughout take-off, flight or touchdown,” mentioned Denis Donohue, president, Surveillance & Community Methods at Raytheon Intelligence & House. “Our modernization effort for WAAS will enhance system robustness throughout ionospheric occasions and guarantee safety-of-life necessities proceed to be met.”

WAAS is a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that gives GPS corrections for essential navigation for the aviation group, first responders and different authorities businesses, guaranteeing pilots can land safely in austere environments, regardless of climate challenges. It additionally supplies corrections for SBAS-capable receivers in use throughout a various set of communities, together with agriculture, maritime and surveying, amongst others.

Raytheon Applied sciences has been the prime improvement contractor for WAAS since 1996. Since reaching preliminary operational functionality in 2003, Raytheon and the FAA have developed and fielded dozens of enhancements increasing WAAS’ precision method functionality, protection space, and reliability, together with enhancements to the system infrastructure in preparation for dual-frequency service.

WAAS dual-frequency service will allow elevated system accuracy, integrity and availability when topic to ionospheric perturbations, together with photo voltaic storms. Work for this effort is predicated in Fullerton, California.