Future
The Microwave Landing System (MLS) introduced in the 1970s was intended to replace ILS but fell out of favour in the United States because of satellite based systems. However, it is showing a resurgence in the United Kingdom for civil aviation. ILS and MLS are the only standardized systems in Civil Aviation that meet requirements for Category III automated landings. The first Category III MLS for civil aviation was commissioned at Heathrow airport in March 2009.
The advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) provides an alternative source of approach for aircraft. In the US, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) has been available to provide precision guidance to Category I standards since 2007, and the equivalent in Europe, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), is currently undergoing final trials and will be certified for safety of life applications in 2010. Other methods of augmentation are in development to provide for Category III minimums or better, such as the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS).
The FAA Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) office is currently working with the industry in anticipation of the certification of the first GBAS ground stations in Memphis, TN; Sydney, Australia; Bremen, Germany; Spain and Newark, NJ. All four countries have installed GBAS systems and are involved in technical and operational evaluation activities. The Honeywell and FAA team are working on the System Design Approval of the world's first Non-Federal U.S. approval for LAAS Category I operations; expected in first quarter 2009 and compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) Category I LAAS.
Read more about this topic: Instrument Landing System
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