Applicability of an augmented GPS for navigation in the National Airspace System

The future applicability of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to the National Airspace System (NAS) for user navigation and landing support is discussed. Functional characteristics and performance estimates are presented for several GPS enhancements, including the use of a geostationary satellite L-band repeater, a CONUS calibration network, and pseudolites. Analysis results indicate that an enhanced GPS system can meet US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enroute/terminal area navigation and nonprecision approach requirements under conditions which include accuracy degradation due to worst-case satellite failure, selective availability, and signal integrity. Similarly, it is shown that a Category I precision approach and landing requirement is essentially met using two pseudolites per airport. Additional analysis and extensive testing are required to validate the Category I findings. >