MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)
has successfully completed Contractor Acceptance and Inspection (CAI) for the
Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).
The FAA formally took delivery of the system on January 24, 2003,
approximately two months ahead of schedule. This critical milestone clears the
way for FAA to initiate Operational Test and Evaluation, with certification
for instrument flight rule navigation to follow later this year.
WAAS is a key component of the FAA's next-generation space-based
navigation and landing system. The system consists of 25 reference stations,
two master stations, and four uplink stations to two geosynchronous
satellites, which together broadcast a GPS-like signal across the national
airspace system. This signal augments the basic Global Positioning System
signal to improve its accuracy, continuity, integrity and availability.
"The system we delivered to the FAA represents a significant advance in
aviation safety and efficiency," said Bob Eckel, vice president, Raytheon Air
Traffic Management Systems. "Raytheon's proven systems integration capability
combined with our ability to produce compliant safety critical software on
time and on budget were key elements of this successful milestone."
WAAS is the first space-based augmentation system to be delivered to a
civil aviation authority with peer-reviewed proof of integrity, meeting the
standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The current WAAS system will support approaches with vertical guidance to
the majority of airports in the lower 48 states and parts of Alaska. It also
allows Required Navigation Performance (RNP) of 0.02 nautical miles (40
meters), with availability well in excess of 99.9 percent, throughout its
service volume. During WAAS-enabled RNP operations, pilots will be able to fly
vertically guided approaches to within 250 feet of the ground, surpassing the
minimums that can be achieved on existing RNP approaches. Approaches with
this level of vertical guidance have been shown to be as much as five-times
safer than non-precision approaches.
Subsequent work on the system will focus on expanding the coverage and
availability of vertical approach capability, increasing the continuity of the
signal, and adding a third geosynchronous satellite for added availability and
redundancy. Raytheon and the FAA are also actively cooperating on the
international expansion of the technology to promote aviation safety and
efficiency in other regions.
Raytheon Company, with 2002 sales of $16.8 billion, is an industry leader
in defense, government and commercial electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon employs more than 76,000
people worldwide.
Contact:
Janet Kopec
972.952.2547
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
CONTACT:
Janet Kopec for Raytheon Company,
+1-972-952-2547
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