GPS World

Tag: Thales

  • Austria modernizes air traffic control with Thales Doppler system

    Thales has launched commercially its next-generation Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Radio ranging system, the DVOR 532. At the same time, Austro Control was announced as the launch customer for DVOR 532 with the signature of a frame contract for deployment in Austria.

    While aviation increases its reliance on GNSS, the VHF omnidirectional radio remains a critical aviation infrastructure system due to vulnerability of GNSS signals and nearly universal equipage of aircraft to use VOR signals for navigation, Thales said.

    The agreement will see Austrian air space equipped with a modern short- and medium-range enroute navigation technology, help to ensure safe and accurate flight navigation across the Austrian airspace.

    DVOR 532 delivers superior navigation signal performance and reduced lifecycle costs in an easy to maintain package.

    Thales will deliver, install and provide training for up to eight new DVOR systems to Austro Control. Austro Control will begin to take over operation of the systems as flight checks for the new systems are completed, with the first to take place before the end of 2017.

    Thales provides air traffic management systems worldwide, with more than 7,000 navigation aids installed in 170 countries.

    The DVOR 532 is a ground-based radio navigation aid for short and medium range for en-route and technical guidance. It transmits an omni-directional signal that enables an aircraft to determine its bearing relative to the location of the beacon.

    The Doppler version of the VOR system provides a highly precise azimuth signal, suitable for difficult geographical conditions.

    The DVOR 532 meets increasingly demanding international design and safety standards such as DO 278/ED 109 for software assurance.

  • South Korea, Thales to develop SBAS for aviation

    South Korea and France’s Thales Group will jointly develop an advanced Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for GPS by 2021.

    The country’s state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) will sign a $40 million deal with Thales Group on Oct. 26, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

    The new SBAS, dubbed KASS (Korean Augmentation Satellite System), especially will help reduce errors in aviation GPS, which currently occur at a rate of one in 5 million and by up to 16 meters horizontally and 20 meters vertically.

    “By reducing the error and providing more accurate location of aircraft by using satellites, the SBAS is expected to help set the shortest air route possible while also helping reduce the cost of fuel for flights and thus expanding their capacities,” the ministry said in a press release.

    A separate agreement will be signed with the European Aviation Safety Agency to jointly verify the new GPS augmentation system following its development.

    KASS will rely on EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System) developed by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor for the European Commission, with the European Space Agency (ESA) as contracting authority. The EGNOS system is operating in Europe since 2009 for Safety of Life services.

    South Korea will initially be using KASS to provide aeronautical applications, including Safety of Life services so that it can be used during different flight phases, especially landings. It will eventually extend these services to other applications, including maritime, road and rail.

    “Our first export success with this sophisticated and powerful navigation system is the upshot of Thales Alenia Space’s involvement with Europe’s satnav projects since the outset, in 1996,” said Jean Loïc Galle, president and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “We are drawing on 20 years of experience to help the Korean space agency, and allow government bodies in the country to develop applications that will improve its people’s comfort and safety for all types of transportation.”

    Thales Alenia Space’s contract with KARI concerns the supply of the ground infrastructure. It will initially operate via a relay provided by an existing geostationary satellite, and it will be interoperable with other SBAS worldwide, which guarantee air traffic safety when planes move between different zones. KARI and Thales Alenia Space will be applying an approach based on partnership, which means that an integrated French-Korean team will be in charge of the project.

  • Networking for assisted PNT

    A networked radio from Thales is designed to meet soldiers’ need for assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) while on foot.

    The MBITR2 is part of a broader defense effort to provide PNT solutions in case of GPS jamming or interference. The MBITR2 is one of a number of devices and technologies, many still in development, to address this need.

    For instance, under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Navsys Corporation is testing a network-assisted PNT acquisition algorithm to run on tactical radios such as the MBITR2. The algorithm is designed to provide improved acquisition performance in a GPS jammed environment by leveraging an innovative assisted GPS (A-GPS) architecture where navigation and timing data are shared across the tactical radio network.

    The AN/PRC-148B MBITR2 ground tactical handheld radio is small, light and power-efficient. It builds on the legacies of both the earlier narrowband AN/PRC-148 MBITR tactical handheld radio and the wideband AN/PRC-154 tactical handheld radio. It covers the 30–512 MHz frequency range.

    When equipped with the MBITR2, dismounted warfighters can connect with the wideband tactical Internet protocol and the voice network via the Soldier Radio Waveform wideband channel, while maintaining contact via the legacy narrowband channel.

    The MBITR2 is interoperable with MBITR radios already deployed. More than 200,000 are now in the field, and Thales said the earlier generation radios can be upgraded with a low-risk and cost-effective approach.

    Further, the MBITR2 retains compatibility with the existing installed base of ancillaries.

    MBITR2-WMBITR2 features

    • Two radios in one
    • Simultaneous two-channel (narrowband and wideband) operations
    • Adds a second wideband channel to the AN/PRC-148 to provide networking, data, and video capability
    • Retains the existing AN/PRC-148 JEM Type-1 capabilities and waveforms
    • Embedded GPS
    • Supports fielded ancillaries

  • New Report on Global Military GPS/GNSS Market Looks at Next Decade

    Reportstack has announced a new report on The Global Military GPS/GNSS Market 2013-2023.  This report offers the reader detailed analysis of the global military GPS/GNSS  market over the next 10 years, alongside potential market opportunities to enter the industry, using detailed market size forecasts, Reportstack said.

    A satellite navigation system provides GPS positioning from a global perspective, and is therefore of utmost importance for modern-day military operations, which rely on accurate real-time data on hostile forces in order to carry out precision attacks, Reportstack said. It is here that GPS/GNSS devices assume an important role, as they are imperative to transfer signals from these satellites back to earth.

    The U.S. is the highest spender on military GPS/GNSS navigation, and is responsible for 42.9% of the global military GNSS devices market. Others major spenders in this sector include Russia, the UK, China and India. In July 2013, India launched the IRNSS-1A, the first of seven satellite constellation to be deployed under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) program to be completed between 2015-2016. And China’s BeiDou is scheduled to be operational by 2020.

    Another factor driving the market is the integration of satellite navigation technology with other navigation systems, such as the inertial navigation system (INS) and gyro, as GPS devices are to be used in order to decipher data correctly, Reportstack said.

    The increasing demand for satellite navigation and communications is driven primarily by the desire of militaries to monitor more areas and derive accurate information by a range of GNSS receivers/sensors in the shortest time possible. Major military aircraft and helicopters are dependent on GPS embedded INS systems for effective navigation. Similarly, naval vessels and guided munitions are increasingly relying on the collaboration of laser, gyro, INS, and satellite navigation technologies to derive accurate real time data.

    Furthermore, it has been observed that the usage of standard positioning services/open service receivers, which use unencrypted signal for non-combat purposes has increased, and is expected to drive demand and encourage expenditure, Reportstack said. The military GPS/GNSS technology is expanding its horizon beyond the basic characteristics of navigation and tracking. The use of GPS, in conjunction with a number of software applications, has expanded its use in military operations. A number of new technologies are now embedded with GPS receivers to produce a more sophisticated military tool.

    Recently, a Swiss-based company developed a device called GPS Log Book based on u-blox technology. The new device has extended the scope of GPS technology to the administrative side of military operations. It provides an easy way for military drivers to automatically keep an accurate travel log book which can be securely accessed later from anywhere via a web interface. Information logged includes route, speed, and distance traveled. It also keeps a close record of fuel used by the vehicle, based on the distance traveled at various speed levels.

    The advent of Differential GPS (DGPS), an enhancement to GPS, which provides improved location accuracy, from the 15-meter nominal GPS accuracy to approximately 10 cm, has further expanded the scope of GPS in missile technology. The intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of hitting targets across thousands of miles navigation, use inertial navigation with DGPS receivers. The advent of DGPS is expected to be one of the most significant steps in accurate missile targeting for militaries across regions.

    The companies mentioned in this report are Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins , Lockheed Martin, ITT Exelis, Thales, and BAE Systems. More details and table of contents about this report can be found by visiting The Global Military GPS/GNSS Market 2013-2023 report.

  • Thales to Provide GPS SAASM Receivers for French Navy Lynx Helicopters

    Thales has been awarded a contract by the Service Industriel de l’Aéronautique (SIAé), France’s military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service, to supply stand-alone GPS receivers for the French Navy’s Lynx helicopters, which are currently being upgraded by the French defence procurement agency (DGA).

    Thales’s GNSS 1000-S receiver relies on SAASM (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) technology to access military GPS encrypted signals. This technology also uses state-of-the-art signal processing offering extended satellite tracking capabilities in terms of precision, integrity, availability and jamming resistance in severe operational conditions.

    This contract consolidates Thales’s European leadership in the field of military GPS receivers, which already equip FREMM multi-mission frigates, cruise missiles, Tiger helicopters, C-135 refuelling aircraft, Atlantique-2 marine patrol aircraft and Mirage 2000D fighters in service with the French armed forces, and the tanker aircraft being delivered for the UK’s FSTA (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) programme.

    The GNSS 1000-S is part of Thales’s suite of GNSS products which will be presented at the European Navigation Conference in Gdansk, Poland, April 25-27 on the Galileo Services booth.

  • Thales Avionics Tracks L1 Signal of First Galileo Satellite

    Following the recent launch of two Galileo in-orbit validation satellites, Thales Avionics of Valence, France, has successfully acquired and tracked the new L1 Open Service signal transmitted by one of the space vehicles (PRN 11) on Monday, December 12, at 13:30 (GMT). Thales Avionics has developed a Galileo receiver capable of processing the Open Service, Commercial Service, and Safety of Life service of the Galileo constellation.

    Figure 1 shows a screenshot of the receiver interface program highlighting the L1 signal energy (top right) and the pilot secondary code (bottom).

    Figure 1: Real-time measurements.

    The satellite Doppler and C/N0 values have been recorded and are provided below.

    The raw navigation message has been decoded. It contains INAV type 0 and INAV dummy data as shown in the next figure. These messages enable Galileo system time transfer.

    The signal modulation and characteristics show no discrepancy relative to the Galileo Open Service ICD released last year.

    The fact that only L1 frequency is broadcast for the moment prevents providsion of further  results based on dual-frequency measurements.

    Thales has developed a coherent processing of the Galileo E5 AltBOC(15,10) signal compatible with hardware architecture designed for independent processing of both E5a and E5b. This processing is fully compatible with the mismatch between the two RF channels on E5a and E5b, thanks to real-time calibration based on satellite signals. This processing only requires software implementation, without additional recurrent costs. The technique is relevant for future receivers operating in the E5 band, in order to significantly enhance the accuracy, with respect to thermal noise and multi-path, and to improve the cycle slip probability.

    Thales Avionics, involved for many years in GNSS receivers design and production, has developed a Galileo receiver capable of processing the Open Service, Commercial Service, and Safety of Life service of the Galileo constellation. This high-end receiver includes patented state of the art algorithms capable of processing up to four different frequencies.