Microwave Landing System - MLS

Website dedicated to the description of Microwave Landing System - MLS that provides precision
guidance for a safe approach and landing on the runway under conditions of reduced visibility.

Search
Skip to main menu
Introduction
The MLS is a system of precission approach for landing by instruments and constitutes a kind of
an alternative to the ILS system. It provides information about the azimuth, optimal angle of
descent and the distance, as well as data about the reverse course in case of an unsuccessful
approach. It has several advantages compared to the ILS, for example a greater number of
possible executed approaches, a more compact ground equipment, and a potential to use more
complicated approach trajectories. However for certain reasons, in particular the advancement of
the GPS satelite navigation, was the installation of new devices halted and finally in 1994
completely canceled by the FAA organization. On european airports we can rather seldom come
across an MLS.

The MLS provides an accurate landing approach for an aircraft in the area of the final approach,
where the path of the final approach isnt identical with the enlonged runways axis. The system
works with a microwave beam that is transmitted towards the sector of approach and scans the
sector both in the horizontal as well as the verical plane. An aircraft in the approach sector
receives the signal and with the help of this beam evaluates its location in space. The aircrafts
position is therefore determined both in the horizontal direction of approach and the vertical
plane, in whatever point of reach of the scanning beam. Because the microwave technology is
radiated into the space of approach in a given time and its not spread out over different
directions, no signal interruption results from various obstacles or terrain protrusions as it was
with the ILS system. The MLS system can thus be situated also in developed areas, where an ILS
system couldnt be set up. An onboard computer enables to solve the approach manoeuvre from
a random direction, for variously oriented runways, even along a curved of bend landing
trajectory. The MLS system is approved by the ICAO for every three categories of an accurate
landing approach.
 Basic elements of the MLS
The MLS system is comprised of ground pieces of equipment that are divided into the protractor
components, rangefinder components, and the onboard hardware. The information about the
angles of the approach course, descent, flare and the course of an unsuccessful approach are
aquired through an onboard antenna or the aircraft itself by measuring the time between two
passages of an oscillating lobe of a high frequency signal . The distance is determined with the
help of an ancillary device, the DME rangefinder. The MLS system further sends with the help of
phase modulation and time-division multiplexing additional data, as identification, system status
and so on. The ground equipment consists in the basic configuration of an Azimuth Transmitter
(AZ) with an added DME rangefinder, perhaps even a more precise DME/P, in close distance of a
course transmitter and near an elevation transmitter, see Fig. 1. A scaled up configuration is
supplemented with a course transmitter for an unsuccessful approach and a flare transmitter.

Figure 1
A display of the MLS components and their approximate placement beside the runway.
(figure source: http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/trailblazer/SP-4216/photos/p42a.JPG)

Ground Distance Measuring Equipment (DME)

The rangefinder unit presents a DME which is positioned together with the course transmitter. In
connection with requirements of accuracy of the MLS system arose a demand to refine the DME
system, which was accomplished with the accurate DME/P rangefinder (along with the DME/W
and DME/N). Hence the function of the DME is to provide a pilot information about the distance
from a specific point which is essential for pinpoint calculation of the planes position in the three-
dimensional space.
Ground protractor components
The ground principle of both protractor parts of the MLS system for horizontal and vertical
homing of an aircraft is to create levelled emiting diagrams, oscillating at a constant speed in
directions TO and FROM, and to measure the elapsed time between two passages of an
oscillating plane lobe through an onboard MLS antenna.

Figure 2 Scheme
of a ground protractor set-up of the MLS system.

A runway fully equipped with the MLS system contains four transmitters. Two relays supply
information about the angle of the azimuth (horizontal) plane and are located face to the runway,
along its axis. They are appended with a DME or DME/P rangefinder device, while one of the
transmitters is dessignated for the course of approach and the other for the course of an
unsuccessful approach. They are positioned 400-600 m from the runways threshold. Another two
relays transmit angular information for the descent and flare (taking over the function of a
descent beacon in the ILS). These are located at a distance of 120-150 m from the runways axis,
while the transmitter of descent signals is situated 200-300 m from the runways threshold and
the flare relay 700-1000 m from the beggining of the runway in the direction of approach. If the
runways equipped with both azimuthal relays, then the relay whose antenna is turned in the
direction of an approaching aircraft (the transmitter on the faraway side of the runway)
represents an approach course transmitter and the relay close to the approaching aircraft takes
over the function of an unsuccessful course transmitter. Its similar also for the descent and flare
relays.

Onboard equipment
One or more MLS antenna systems
Onboard MLS receiver of signals of the ground protractor devices with a computing
system for real time calculation of angular information
Interrogator of the DME radio rangefinder
Onboard MLS indicator
Interconnection of the onboard MLS receivers output and the control systems
The onboard equipment has to be able to decode and process functions of the landing approach
azimuth including one with a high frequency of regeneration, the reverse azimuth, the angle of
descent, and necessary data to accomplish projected flights. Information about the distance is
decoded independently. The homing angle is determined by measuring the interval between the
reception of the scanning lobes TO and FROM. If the equipment is qualified, the receiver has
the option of manual or automatic selection of a landing approach trajectory, an angle of descent
and a reverse azimuth. Operating in the automatic mode, the selection is made with the aid of
information present in the code names of the primary data.

Principle of operation
The MLS system operates at a frequency band of 5031,0 5090,7 MHz on two separate channels
at a mutual interval of 300 kHz. The protractor part of the MLS system provides continually
information about an aircrafts position relative to the runway both in the vertical and horizontal
plane. The rangefinder part enables to measure the distance between an aircraft and the
reference points in the approach process. The angular information for the approach course,
descent, flare and go-around is determined by measuring the interval between two passages of
an oscillating plane lobe through an onboard MLS antenna.

The MLS system is capable to provide coverage of maximum 60.0 in the azimuthal
(horizontal) plane, whereby a typical device makes use of only 40.0 from the runways axis in
the azimuthal plane for the final approach and 20.0 for a missed approach course, see Fig. 3.
Of which the minimal ordained proportional homing sector is 10.0 from the runways axis.
Thereafter is the space covered in the vertical plane from 0.9 to 15 with a coverage up to an
altitude of 6000 m, for an approach distance of 37 km (see Fig. 4) and to a height of 1500 m and
distance of 9,4 km for a missed approach.
 Figure 3 An
illustration of the horizontal signals coverage and its oscillation.
(figure source: http://accessscience.com/loadBinary.aspx?filename=424150FG0020.gif)

Figure 4 An
illustration of the vertical signals coverage for various glide slope angles.
(figure source: http://www.airresearch.com/Pilots/AIM/Chap1/f0101009.gif)

All data stated below is gradually transmitted on the same frequency with a repetitive frequency:

13 Hz azimuth (course guide), for systems with the ability to swiftly restore the
course information a frequency of 93 Hz is used.
6,5 Hz missed approach course
39 Hz elevation
In order to maintain a synchronized timing of the transmissions individual data blocks, are all
parts of the MLS synchronized. Data about the distance is received separately on an
interconnected DME channel. Utilizing the MLS data with onboard computers and control
systems, its possible to carry out a precision approach and landing in similar fashion as with the
ILS system, on top with the option to execute curved of broken arched trajectories of approach
and automatic landings. All parts of the MLS system include their own monitor circuits that in the
case of an out of tolerance deviation of some outer MLS parameters switch the devices on a back
up array. In case of a long-time deviation the pilot gives notice about the change to the traffic
control.

The exact information about an aircrafts position enables to perform more complicated
procedures, as flying along a curved glide slope or using multiple glide slopes. An appropriate
precision allows to improve the air traffic flow on busy airports through curved fly paths. ICAO
quantifies the required systems accuracy as stated in the ICAO regulations Annex 10.

The complete accuracy limits include all errors caused by the onboard equipment and radio
waves broadcast. Theyre specified for a part of the flight path containing the reference approach
altitude and reference missed approach height for a go-around. The reference landing height is
15 m (50 ft).