Earlier this month, RTCA hosted an interactive webinar with navigation experts discussing how the Global Positioning System (GPS) has transformed to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and why we need new standards for the evolving technology. RTCA’s Special Committee 159 has developed a mature set of single-frequency and augmented GPS standards. As more satellite constellations are deployed, RTCA SC-159 and EUROCAE WG-62 are working together to create globally harmonized standards for Dual-Frequency Multi-Constellation (DFMC) avionics to get the most out of the new system.
Dr. Christopher Hegarty of The MITRE Corporation, session moderator, and SC-159 Co-Chair, was joined by Co-Chair Dr. George Ligler (Texas A&M), the Government Authorized Representative from FAA, Barbara Clark, and Laurent Azoulai of Airbus, the co-lead of WG-2 for SC-159. Several challenges with the development of Dual-Frequency, Multi-Constellation GNSS avionics standards were addressed during the webinar including emerging threats such as spoofing/jamming, spectrum compatibility, cost/benefit analysis and more.
To view full webinar, click here.
Interested in joining the work of SC-159? Visit the SC-159 page to learn more.
The GNSS Avionics Workplan below was prepared and shared by Dr. Hegarty.
GNSS Avionics Workplan
| Product | Description | Completion Date |
|---|---|---|
| DO-235C | Updated L1 Interference environment report | July 2021 |
| DO-292A | Updated L5 Interference environment report | October 2022 |
| DO-373/373A | New GNSS dual-frequency (1575/1176 MHz) antenna MOPS for airborne equipment | March 2017 (initial) March 2023 (update) |
| GNSS (SBAS) L1/L5 MOPS | GPS/Galileo/SBAS Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS) | March 2023 (initial) October 2024 (update) |
| BeiDou White Paper | White paper on potential inclusion of BeiDou system and BeiDou SBAS in DFMC MOPS | September 2023 |
| GNSS (GBAS) L1/L5 MOPS | GPS/Galileo/GBAS MOPS | December 2024 (initial) December 2028 (update) |
