The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the award of a contract that will help accelerate the development of GNSS-based procedures under the agency’s Next Generation (NextGen) air traffic management program.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the award of a contract that will help accelerate the development of GNSS-based procedures under the agency’s Next Generation (NextGen) air traffic management program.
With the $2.77 million contract, ITT Exelis, the prime contractor, and GE’s Naverus, the sub-contractor, will develop required navigation performance (RNP) approach procedures into five airports: Ted Stevens Anchorage International, James M. Cox Dayton International, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (Kansas City), General Mitchell International (Milwaukee) and Syracuse Hancock International.
The RNPs will enable suitably equipment aircraft to fly more directly to their destinations rather than using traditional waypoint navigation routes.
Under FAA supervision, the companies will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining a total of 10 procedures — two for each airport. This effort will supplement the FAA’s work to develop RNP procedures for airports across the country. To date the agency has developed 305 RNP procedures itself.“
If you imagine highways in the sky, then these are high-speed off ramps,” said Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “Aircraft using RNP approaches make a more direct and efficient approach into the airport, also decreasing fuel burn.”
The FAA awarded the contract to ITT Exelis and Naverus through a competitive process under the System Engineering 2020 contract, a portfolio of work designed to help the agency roll out NextGen.
Fiscal year 2012 appropriations included funding for a contractor to develop and deliver NextGen procedures, and the FAA reauthorization bill called for the agency to demonstrate the ability of a contractor to design, implement, and maintain these procedures.
