Ch Mahesh received his B.

E(ECE) degree from Andhra

University, Vishakhapatnam ,AP in 1999 and M.Tech(Systems
and Signal processing) JNT University, Hyderabad ,AP ,in
2003. He joined AAI in 2006 as JET(Elex) and presently
working as Manager(CNS) at Hyderabad International Airport
Limited (HIAL),Hyderabad in NAV AID unit since 2011.

GBAS: A future Precision Landing System in Low

Visibility
Abstract-In terms of both Airspace and navigation , a major change is envisaged from the navigation requirements to
days fixed air routes due to land based navigation system. This paper discuss the limitations of present landing system in
use and need of future precision landing based on Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) landing. The Ground based
augmentation system(GBAS) emerged as a new technology for precision landing in low visibility condition. Further, it
greatly improves the airport capacity by the use of multiple runways with single GBAS system within coverage area.

I. INTRODUCTION
Although the first use of radio navigation has begun in 1904, the practical use did not take place until 1930s with
Dr Ernst Kramer who is often called father of instrument landing system at standard Electric Lorenz of ITI
subsidiary company. At that time the instrument landing system and navigations were called Bordfunkgeraete
means On Board Radio Devices in Germany. After the use of the four-course dot/dash signals at 480MHZ in 1942
at Great Britain, a landing system was developed in the USA in 1943-44 for military purposes [1]. Over last 80 years
of successful operation, the landing system is under transition stage due to its potential limitations and cost effective.
A. The Instrument Landing System (ILS)
The ILS, a ground based system, provides aircraft with a lateral and vertical guidance relative to an approach path
to the runway. In early days of ILS development, the pilot has to take visual decision before approaching to land.
Usually, this is known as Decision Height where the pilot visually acquire the runway or must initiate go around.
With the development of autopilot and flight display designed, along with the improved ground system accuracy and
continuity service made lower decision height. Based on these capabilities the first auto landing in 1964 at United
Kingdoms Brodfort Airport and first blind landing in 1972 was performed.
The ICAO introduced series of categories to indicate the minimum approach height which would be achieved
with each systems performance. These categories are shown in table 1.
Category

Decision Height(DH)

RVR

CAT I

200ft/60m

550m

CAT II

100ft/30m
< 100ft/30m down or no DH

350m

CAT III
A

< 15 m or no DH

>200m

No min

200>RVR 50m
No min

TABLE 1 ILS DH AND RVR

Each category is associated with a runway visual range

1

Even though, CATII/III systems provide significant level of safety and efficiency if airport access in poor visibility
condition, they required increased separation between arriving aircraft to avoid radio interference.
B

ILS Limitations
The Instrument Landing System(ILS) has served as the standard precision approach and landing ,it has undergone

a number of improvements to increase its performance and reliability. However, in relation to future aviation
requirements, the ILS has a number of basic limitations [2]. 1) site sensitivity and high installation costs, 2) single
approach path, 3) multi path interference, and 4)channel limitations - 40 channels only.
C

Options for Change

Early 1970s, Microwave Landing System (MLS) emerged as an alternative to the ILS. The MLS overcome

several limitations by using a completely different Radio Frequency but unfortunately failed due to lack of civil
airspace user commitment and may be an alternative is in progress. The emerging GPS is the primarily focused and
the interest of MLS has utterly neglected.
II.

GNSS LANDING SYSTEM-GBAS

In the early 1990s, another alternative to ILS was emerged as positioning and landing system based on the Global
Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The ICAO laid international standard for landing system based on local
correction of GNSS data to a level that would support an instrument approach. The ICAO SARPS define the
characteristics of the GBAS service that can be provided by service provider. GBAS offers greater flexibility by
supporting GNSS Landing System operations on multiple runways, with a single system. The aviation world is
switching to GBAS in line with ICAO strategy of satellite navigation for all phases of flight[3]. The GBAS provides
radiated signal in space that can be used by suitable equipped aircraft as the basis of GNSS landing system.
The GBAS consists three major elements:
a) A global satellite constellation
b) The Ground station and
c) Avionics.
The global satellite constellation supports worldwide navigation position fixing, a ground station facility at each
equipped airport provides a local navigation correction, and onboard avionics will process and provide guidance as
shown in fig 1.

Fig 1. Basic GBAS Components

2

A. How GBAS Works

GBAS is designed to support precision approach operation at airports within coverage area. It provides desired
flight path information for approaches, landings, and other maneuvers within the terminal area, as well as
determining ranging sources errors using multiple ground reference receivers. The GBAS ground facility monitors
GPS and/or GLONASS signals at an aerodrome and broadcasts locally relevant integrity messages, pseudo range
corrections and approach data via a VHF data broadcast (VDB) to aircraft within the nominal range of 37 km (20
NM) in the approach area (when supporting Category I operations) and within the range depending upon intended
operations (when providing positioning service). When an Satellite Based Augmentation System(SBAS) service is
available, GBAS can also provide corrections for the SBAS GEO ranging signal. The onboard avionics at present
containing multimode receivers (MMRs) that support ILS and basic GPS operation with slight modification of these
MMRs will receive and process the GBAS data via VDB data link. The MMRs apply the local correction data
received from the GBAS to each satellite that the aircraft and GBAS share common. These corrections are more
effective when the aircraft relatively closely to GBAS station. A GBAS is designed to support one or more of three
categories of precision approach as shown in figure 1. A single GBAS ground installation may provide guidance for
up to 49 precision approaches within its VDB coverage, serving several runways and possibly more than one
aerodrome.
B. Operation Using the GBAS
A typical GBAS ground station provides approach and landing service to all runways at the GBAS equipped
airport. Each runway approach direction requires the definition of a final approach segment (FAS) to establish the
desired reference path from an approach, landing, and rollout. Each approach is given a unique identifier for
particular FAS, glide slope and missed approach combination. The required FAS data for all approaches supported
by GBAS facility through VDB data link. The onboard MMR process the pseudo range corrections and FAS data to
produce an ILS like deviation indication from the final approach path. These deviation indications are displayed on
the primary flight display for landing guidance. The GBAS is intended to support multiple levels of services to an
unlimited number of aircrafts within its coverage area. ICAO defined two levels of service. 1) Performance Type
1(PT1) or Precision approach, 2) GBAS positioning service (GBAS PS). The PT1 service supports ILS look like
deviation for an instrument approach. The GBAS PS provides very accurate position, velocity and time
measurements within the terminal area. The improved accuracy will benefit other future uses of GNSS positioning.
Such as ADS-B and surface movement guidance and control systems.
C GBAS performance characteristics
Before introducing any new navigation system one should evaluate the four necessary parameters. Those are:
1) Integrity, 2) Continuity, 3) Availability and 4) Accuracy. Integrity is a measure of the trust which can be placed in
the correctness of the information supplied by the total system. Integrity includes the ability of the system to alert
the user when the system should not be used for the intended operation (or phase of flight). Continuity is the
capability of the system to perform its function without unscheduled interruptions during the intended operation.
This is expressed as a probability. The availability of GNSS is complicated by the movement of satellites relative to
a coverage area and by the potentially long time it takes to restore a satellite in the event of a failure. GNSS position
3

accuracy is the difference between the estimated and actual aircraft position. Ground-based systems such as VHF
Omni directional radio range (VOR) and instrument landing system (ILS) have relatively repeatable error
characteristics. Therefore their performance can be measured for a short period of time (e.g. during flight inspection)
and it is assumed that the system accuracy does not change after the measurement. GNSS errors however can change
over a period of hours due to satellite geometry changes, the effects of the ionosphere and augmentation system
design.
III. BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF GBAS
While GNSS offers significant benefits, the technology has its limitations and brings with it a number of institutional issues.

A. Benefits of GBAS
The GBAS service can offer significantly better performance than ILS. It has the following capabilities with respect
to the user perspective:

Provide approach and takeoff guidance service multiple runways through single GBAS facility

Optimize runway use by reducing the critical protection areas

Provide more flexible taxiway or hold line placement choices

Provide more efficient aircraft separation or spacing standards

The other significant benefits from the service providers perspective are:

Reduce installation, maintenance costs because single system can support all runways

The operational constraint of interlocked condition of ILS can be avoided to serve other runway

The GBAS serves all runway ends with a single VHF frequency , the limited navigation frequency
spectrum is used more efficiently

The siting condition of GBAS ground station is not critical as like as ILS

B. Limitations of GBAS
The limitations or challenges of GBAS are:

A challenge for GNSS is the achievement of a high availability of service. Interference with GNSS signals
directly affects availability.

The safety of GNSS navigation depends on the accuracy of navigation databases. Therefore one has to
ensure data integrity when developing new procedures.

IV. CONCLUSIONS
The present ILS under pressure due to its potential drawbacks. Especially, in low visibility and its limitation effects
the capacity of airport. GNSS based navigation system i.e. GBAS, has the potential to provide a greater level of
efficiency and to be more cost effective. While ILS performance and limitations are well known the need to maintain
ILS as a backup until GBAS is fully demonstrate for safe and secure navigation.

REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]

Leon Himmel ., First-Hand: Development of Instrument Landing System Glide Path, IEEE Global History Network.
Ch Mahesh., Dr K Ravindra., Prof V Kamakshiprasad.," The Role of CNS in Aviation: Present and future-A comparative study" Journal of
Information, Knowledge and Research in Electronics and communication Engineering., ISSN 0975-6779,Nov 11 to Oct 12., Vol-2.,Issue01,Page 163-174.
ICAO Doc 9849.," Global Navigation satellite System(GNSS) Manual" first adition,1995.