Electronic systems specialist Thales will supply the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with an initial five ILS420 instrument landing systems for deployment throughout its National Airspace System (NAS).
The order is the first procurement in a five-year contract, reports Air Traffic Management. The ILS420 will provide precise vertical and horizontal navigation guidance to pilots for smooth, safe approach and landing. The system is the most advanced ILS on the market, surpassing the requirements of the FAA and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for Category III operations.
As a result of their high reliability, Thales ILS systems require less maintenance activity than similar technologies on the market.
Currently, the Thales MK20A ILS is the backbone of the US National Airspace System's precision navigation capability. There are more than 1,250 MK20A and older generation Thales ILS systems deployed in the U.S. Over the next few years, the ILS420 will update legacy ILS technologies, offering precise guidance to thousands of aircraft for safe landing, as well as lower operating costs to users.
More than 2,500 Thales navigational aids are operating in the US, enabling flight operations in the NAS and paving the way to NextGen. Globally, more than 7,000 Thales navaids are operating across 170 countries.
