General Dynamics [GD] will provide the communications for the new U.S. Air Force Deployable Instrument Landing System (D-ILS), the company said Thursday.
The D-ILS, built by Thales, gives pilots a precision guidance to land at locations where existing air traffic control is unavailable or where no infrastructure exists, like at temporary isolated airfields.
The landing system is set to use GD’s CM-300/350 V2 air traffic control (ATC) radios with the Fortress ES2440 High-capacity Mesh Point wireless backhaul radios, the company said.
“The General Dynamics Mission Systems radios offer an integrated solution with commercial off-the-shelf products, delivering significant cost savings in bringing this new Air Force capability into service,” Mike DiBiase, a vice president of General Dynamics Mission Systems, said in a statement.
GD highlighted the CM-300/350 V2 radios are the first Voice over IP (VoIP) UHF and VHF radios approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ground-to-air communications. They have begun to be installed in airport control towers, FAA regional centers, and training facilities acrossd the United States.
Fortress wireless technology is also currently used in military operations where various military assets are operating in large outdoor areas, allowing the assets to connect to the network without traditional wired network constraints, GD said.
The Thales D-ILS system is planned to provide pilots with exact landing instructions during final approach in low-visibility/low-ceiling weather situations. It will also provide the Air Force with a highly deployable system for rapid set-up, activation, and relocation during Air Force tactical and restoral-of-service operations, GD said.