Photo: uAvionix

The ping200XR TSO has received TSO-C112e and TSO-C166b for transponder and ADS-B functionality — TSO-C188b for its internal pressure altimeter, and TSO-C145e for the integral aviation GPS.

It is a compact Mode S ADS-B transponder with an integrated GPS receiver, measuring 47 x 72 x 10mm and weighing just 52 grams. This device combines the functionality of a transponder and GPS into a single unit, making it suitable for airspace access and operations involving certified aircraft.

The ping200XR facilitates seamless integration into national and international airspace systems by enabling aircraft detection by secondary surveillance radar (SSR), traffic collision avoidance systems (TCAS), and ADS-B IN receivers. Additionally, it has received technical standard order (TSO) certification from the FAA, ensuring that it meets specific performance standards established by the aviation regulatory body.

The ping200XR can be used in high-altitude aircraft and balloons operating in Class A airspace and above. With the new TSO certifications, the device can now be utilized in regions that mandate such approvals, including Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This certification also makes the ping200XR TSO a viable option for aircraft pursuing type certification, such as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) platforms. The certified version is scheduled to become available for purchase starting in September 2024.

<p>The post uAvionix receiver achieves FAA TSO certification first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: uAvionix

uAvionix has integrated its FlightLine surveillance services with Volant Autonomy’s integrated traffic management (ITM) system for Agile and Integrated Airspace System (ALIAS), a UK Government Future Flight Phase III project.

The collaboration, showcased in the Channel Islands and New Jersey Airport, aims to advance the integration of unsegregated crewed and uncrewed operations into the UK airspace system and support beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).

Following the completion of Project ALIAS in June 2024, Volant Autonomy has seen a surge in interest in its BVLOS-enabling technology. uAvionix’s FlightLine system proved to be an asset in supporting the consortium’s demonstration flights, according to Anthony Lawrenson, COO of Volant Autonomy.

The integration delivers timely and reliable automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) positional data, which forms an important part of the ALIAS traffic information service (TIS). It is crucial to obtain and use accurate positional data joint with primary and secondary radar feeds from ports of Jersey (ATC) to operate Volant’s DAA solution. This solution complies with the RTCA’s ACAS sXu (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) standards.

During the latest ALIAS trials, the Diamond DA-42 aircraft operated by Draken provided safe and dynamic separation from UAVs operated by SkyLift and SkyPorts. The trials also showcased SkyLift’s unmanned aircraft operating in and out of test sites, demonstrating the realistic potential for multiple airborne services to operate safely within a live Air Traffic Control (ATC) environment.

<p>The post uAvionix, Volant Autonomy advance air traffic management system first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: uAvionix

uAvionix has successfully installed and approved its surface situational awareness systems at two major U.S. airports: Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Developed in collaboration with Capital Sciences, the systems have passed the Service Acceptance Test (SAT) and will be operational for Air Traffic Control (ATC) starting June 30, 2024.

“This milestone marks the first approvals under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI), part of a broader effort to enhance runway safety across the nation,” said Christian Ramsey, chief commercial officer for uAvionix.

The uAvionix systems use the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) service called FlightLine, which offers controllers real-time, precise depictions of aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. This technology seeks to improve situational awareness and reduce the risk of runway incursions.

The delivery of the FlightLine systems to IND and AUS was completed and accepted within a 90-day timeframe, thanks to close collaboration with the FAA, National Air Traffic Control Association (NATCA), Indianapolis Airport Authority and AUS.

Each airport also installed several of uAvionix’s VTU-20 ADS-B Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs) on airport vehicles. The VTU-20 is an FAA-approved system that allows vehicles operating on runways and taxiways to be electronically seen by the tower and aircraft equipped with ADS-B In technologies, further reducing the risk of runway incursions.

Following the success of these implementations, uAvionix will continue working with the FAA to expand the capability to other airports nationwide.

Key benefits of the enhanced system include:

• Improved real-time tracking of aircraft and vehicles on the airfield.
• Increased safety and efficiency in all weather conditions.
• Decreased risk of runway incursions due to timely and accurate data.

<p>The post uAvionix delivers situational awareness systems to airports first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: uAvionix

uAvionix has partnered with Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to deploy a DO-260B-compliant, dual-band Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver network to complement Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sensor data with low-altitude aircraft positions in support of CAP’s radar analysis mission.

The ADS-B receiver technology — already in use in Virginia — is designed to shorten the accident-to-rescue time in the National Radar Analysis Team’s search and rescue efforts.

Through the leadership of CAP’s Virginia Wing, members throughout the state have assisted uAvionix in locating suitable receiver sites and supported the installation of small, low-weight FlightStation ADS-B receivers at various airports.

The dual-mode (1090 MHz and 978 MHz) FlightStations receive transponder data from aircraft, which is centrally received and transmitted to the radar team server at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where it’s combined with FAA sensor data.

The CAP team uses FAA data and advanced technologies in its search and rescue efforts. The team is activated by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center when there is a report of a possible missing aircraft or crash. Once the team is activated, analysis and actionable data can be provided in minutes to an incident commander, instead of the days or hours required before the team’s creation.

The FlightLine roll-out consists of several ATC grade ADS-B receivers with overlapping coverage, allowing for validation of transmitted ADS-B data and pinpoint multilaterated positions. Traditional ADS-B and radar concentrate mostly on airports and higher altitudes in support of air traffic control.

Most other available data sources largely exclude coverage for 978Mhz transponders, typically used by general aviation aircraft. Virginia is the first state in the U.S. to have complete coverage down to 500 ft of altitude. The new ADS-B is rapidly expanding to other CAP wings across the U.S.

“The introduction of ADS-B has resulted in a significant improvement of general aviation safety,” said Christian Ramsey, managing director, uAvionix. “Expanding on the FAA coverage at lower altitude and for UAT [universal access transceiver] transponders typically carried by general aviation will further enhance the tools used in safety of life activities such as CAP’ ‘s emergency services mission.”

The radar analysis team is calling on all CAP Squadrons to volunteer to host and install additional receivers where additional coverage is needed. Young said his team will prioritize areas where existing coverage is weak.

For more information and to register your squadron for a FlightStation unit, click here.

<p>The post uAvionix, CAP collaborate to expand low-altitude aircraft data for search and rescue missions first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: uAvionix

uAvionix has received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval, coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to operate its SkyLink C-band command and control (C2) radios for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Emerging Technology test site.

The radios — operating on aviation-protected C-band frequencies — will be controlled by uAvionix’s SkyLine cloud-based C2 network solution that supports fleet management, network health monitoring, detect and avoid, and roaming between multiple radio networks and ground stations.

According to uAvionix, with the BVLOS Waiver, businesses looking to use aviation-protected C-band and other radio networks for assured control and non-payload communications can now develop, test and implement solutions for business initiatives such as package delivery and medical resupply.

With over 200,000 tribal members and more than 11,000 employees, the Choctaw Nation is the third largest Indian nation in the United States. It is developing an aviation test facility in southeastern Oklahoma that utilizes more than 44,600 acres of remote land it tribally owns to support the innovative research, development, test and evaluation of emerging manned and unmanned aerial system technologies in a safe and low-risk environment.

Interested businesses should contact the Choctaw Nation and uAvionix to support implementation and scaling of uncrewed aerial system operations with multiple C2 links including aviation protected C-band.

<p>The post uAvionix receives FCC/FAA approval for C-band BVLOS operations first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: uAvionix

uAvionix has introduced truSky ADS-B spoofing detection for its SkyLine uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) services.

The uAvionix truSky validation process uses a network of low-profile deployed dual-frequency ADS-B ground receivers to evaluate each signal transmitted from the aircraft. The system then compares the received signals to confirm that the signal originated from the aircraft’s position.

When used within the uAvionix SkyLine platform, each aircraft track point is color-coded based on its confidence score. The validation score is then transmitted along with the position updates of the aircraft using SkyLine API.

TruSky is being piloted in numerous locations in the United States and is available as a component of uAvionix’s SkyLine UAS BVLOS service or as an API for integration into uas GCS, UTM, or ATM platforms.

<p>The post UAvionix launches spoofing detection for SkyLine UAS BVLOS operations first appeared on GPS World.</p>

UAV

Image: InfiniDome

Anti-Jamming Device
Provides protection from three directions of attack 

The GPSdome 2 is tailored to defend small- to medium-sized tactical UAVs as well as manned and unmanned ground vehicles. With a small form factor (500 g, 87 mm x 91 mm x 61.55 mm) and minimal power consumption, GPSdome 2 is suitable for loitering munitions as well as UAVs. Fully retrofit and completely standalone, the system is compatible with almost any off-the-shelf GNSS receiver as well as standard active GNSS antennas, meaning that it can be integrated into existing GPS systems or into new product lines, manned or unmanned. With sophisticated algorithms and a proprietary RFIC, GPSdome 2 analyzes RF interference in the environment and combines multiple antenna patterns to create and dynamically steer three nulls in the direction of any hostile signal. GPSdome 2 provides simultaneous dual-frequency protection (GPS L1 + L2 or GPS L1 + GLONASS G1), creating up to three nulls, protecting from three jamming directions within each band in real time, making it suitable for PNT applications. The GPSdome 2 is a dual-use, non-ITAR device and comes with optional mil-spec compliance.
InfiniDome, infinidome.com

Image: uAvionix

Command and Control
Designed for easy integration

The SkyLine C2 management platform and muLTElink airborne radio systems (ARS) are designed to integrate, which enables a self-healing command-and-control network capable of both path and link diversity. This eliminates lost-link possibilities over broad terrain and altitude ranges. MuLTElink ARS consists of two models — muLTElink915 and muLTElink5060, the core of the uAvionix C2 system. The muLTElink915 model combines globally licensed aviation LTE, enhanced with frequency hopping 902 MHz – 928 MHz industrial, scientific and medical frequencies capability. The muLTElink5060 model combines global LTE with aviation-protected 5,030 MHz – 5,091 MHz C-band. Each muLTElink model allows up to one external CNPC radio to be optionally connected to allow simultaneous use of all three frequency ranges, higher power C-band operation or future radio integrations.
uAvionix, uAvionix.com 

Image: Atmos

VTOL UAV
With Sony a7R mark III and IV camera 

Atmos has integrated the Sony a7R mark III and IV cameras into its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAV, the Marlyn Cobalt. This will increase coverage and accuracy achieved in a single flight for surveyors. Both cameras have an ISO of 32,000, which is expandable to 102,400, and camera sensors with high megapixel count — 42,4 MP for the a7R III and 61 MP for the a7R IV. When combined with Zeiss’ 35 mm and 21 mm lenses, it enables UAV surveyors to achieve ground sample distance levels below one 1 cm. The integration of the two cameras enables Marlyn Cobalt users to map an area of 210 ha with centimeter-level accuracy in a single flight.
Atmos, atmosuav.com

Trueview 720. (Image: GeoCue)

TrueView 535. (Image: GeoCue)

Accuracy Star. (Image: GeoCue)

UAV and Lidar Systems
Suitable for geospatial professionals 

TrueView 535 consists of updated lidar sensors, adding a third return, increasing mapping abilities below canopy. An additional third nadir camera offers another point of view and improves photogrammetry quality. It also includes a longer, usable lidar range to increase flexibility. TrueView 720 is a fourth-generation Riegl VUX-120 with three laser beam orientations. It provides high-point density corridor mapping. Using the Riegl VUX-120 with three laser beam orientations (nadir, +10 degrees forward and –10 degrees backward) and three oblique/nadir cameras enables data collection from more surfaces in one flight path. One application of TrueView 720 is scanning power lines. Users can capture the poles vertically, front and back. The extreme range of this system means it can be integrated with UAVs, airplanes or helicopters. In addition to the two sensor payloads, GeoCue has launched its LP360 software add-on for processing and visualization — the 3D Accuracy and the Accuracy Star hardware.
GeoCue, geocue.com

OEM

Image: Microchip

Voltage Regulator
Device for LEO space application

The MIC69303RT is a radiation-tolerant power management device for space application developers. It is a high-current, low-voltage device targeting low-Earth orbit space applications. The MIC69303RT operates from a single low-voltage supply of 1.65 v to 5.5 v and can supply output voltages as low as 0.5 v at high currents. It offers high-precision and low dropout voltages of 500 mv under extreme conditions. The MIC69303RT is a companion power source solution for microcontrollers, such as the SAM71Q21RT and PolarFire field-programmable gate arrays. MIC69303RT is designed for harsh aerospace applications and remains operational in temperature ranges from -55 C to +125 C.
Microchip Technology, microchip.com

Image: Spirent Communications

LEO Satellite Device
Designed for GNSS/PNT lab testing

SimORBIT is a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite solution software designed to aid developers in determining LEO orbits more accurately for GNSS/PNT lab testing. The software replicates LEO orbits so that simulations can provide the realistic environment of a LEO satellite, including gravitational and atmospheric impacts the satellite could encounter in space. Developers can create non-ICD signals via I/Q injection, or by the “Flex” feature, generating space-centered PNT signals to be developed in the lab as realistically as possible. Spirent Communications developed SimORBIT in partnership with SpacePNT.
Spirent Communications, spirent.com

Image: Sony

5G Chipset
Includes GNSS 

The ALT1350 implements GNSS, cellular and Wi-Fi-based location in a single chipset. The cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT chipset is designed to enable additional low-power, wide-area (LPWA) communication protocols; intermittent LTE and GNSS (GPS/GLONASS) navigation for low-cost applications; and concurrent LTE and L1/L5 GNSS for tracking applications. The ALT1350 incorporates a sensor hub to collect data from the sensors while maintaining ultra-low power consumption. It also provides cellular and Wi-Fi-based positioning and is tightly integrated to provide power-optimized concurrent LTE and GNSS to accommodate various tracking applications, which can be demanding with a single chip. The chip is designed to enable deployments for the internet of things (IoT), including location technologies.
Sony, altair.sony-semicon.com

Image: Linx Technologies

Embedded Antenna
Supports multiple satellite constellations

The ANT-GNL1-nSP is a surface-mount embedded GNSS antenna supporting GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou and QZSS in the L1/E1/B1 bands. The ANT-GNL1-nSP antenna exhibits high performance in a compact size (10 mm x 8 mm x 1 mm) and features linear polarization and an omnidirectional radiation pattern. The antenna is available in tape and reel packaging and is designed for reflow-solder mounting directly to a printed circuit board for high-volume applications.
Linx Technologies, linxtechnologies.com

Image: OriginGPS

GNSS Module
Based on a MediaTek chipset

The ORG4600-MK01 dual-frequency module provides higher precision than the company’s previous modules. It has sub-1 m precision at a cost lower than that of the company’s first L1+L5 module, the ORG4600-B01, which is based on Broadcom’s chipset. The 10 mm x 10 mm ORG4600-MK01 was designed for applications deployed in challenging environmental conditions. The solution also includes RTCM, a logger and accurate orbit prediction.
OriginGPS, origingps.com

MAPPING

Image: Mapbox

Navigation Software
Includes enhancements to existing software and more

Navigation software development kit version 2.9 provides pre-built applications compatible with Android and IOS. SDK v2.9 provides the primary navigation components across a workflow using lines of code instead of starting from square one. The drop-in user interface is customizable to reflect a developer’s brand, obviating the need to manually develop a full end-to-end application. Navigation SDK Copilot — a backend analytics tool for CX on navigation applications — collects trace files of navigation sessions and search analytics data from users. Developers can use this data to gather feedback and collective user data to create touch points with users and improve application experience based on their data-drawn conclusions. Matrix API has been updated to support scheduled departure times and provide optimal driving routes, creating a more accurate estimated time of arrival.
Mapbox, mapbox.com

Image: Hexagon

Defense Platform
For developing Android applications 

LuciadCPillar is designed for the development of mobile applications for dismounted soldiers in the field. Developers can build applications with 2D and 3D views. It features military symbology and supports many geospatial data types including vector data, raster data, elevation data, point clouds and 3D meshes. It has the same capabilities found in desktops, in-vehicle and browser applications built with LuciadLightspeed, LuciadCPillar and LuciadRIA. The platform offers capabilities to match high-resolution screens, graphic processing units and multi-core processors including the ability to display 3D data in mobile applications. LuciadCPillar supports ARM processors and an application programming interface, which aligns with the Android developer experience. Impact, a French system integrator, partnered with Hexagon to test LuciadCPillar and will integrate it into its Delta Suite product, which is used by the French Special Operations Command. LuciadCPillar is part of Luciad 2022.1, which is available now globally.
Hexagon, hexagon.com

Image: Golden Software

Surface Mapping
Designed for 3D surface mapping 

The Surfer package is designed for 3D surface mapping and provides robust subsurface visualization and modeling functionality by incorporating many true 3D gridding and visualization tools. With the enhanced functionality, users can now model an additional variable, a C variable, such as a contaminant or chemical concentration, along with the traditional X, Y, Z values. Surfer also includes the ability to create a 2D map of a slice-through 3D grid, which users can move up and down through the grid, illustrating how the C value changes with depth. Part of Surfer’s enhancements is isosurface creation, enabling visualization of the 3D grid in the 3D view as an isosurface, providing another way to see how C data varies with depth or elevation. The new 3D-rendered volume functionality also allows users to visualize the 3D grid in the 3D view as a solid body by assigning colors to different C values, highlighting variations in the data.
Golden Software, goldensoftware.com

<p>The post Launchpad: Navigation software, UAV and lidar systems first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: uAvionix

UAvionix has launched its remote ID broadcast module for UAVs, pingRID. The pingRID meets the Part 89 remote ID standards of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will become effective on Sept. 16, 2023, to keep operators safe and compliant throughout a flight.

The pingRID comes pre-configured and ready for use out of the box. After assigning the pingRID unique identification number to the aircraft’s registration with the FAA, operators can attach the battery-powered device to their UAV and prepare for flight.

A set of LED indicators provides status on the battery charge, device readiness for flight and inflight operations. The compact, lightweight design fits most aircraft without impacting performance. The module can also be quickly recharged via USB-C.

The FAA’s final rule on remote ID requires all UAV pilots to meet the operating requirements of Part 89. For most operators, this will require flying a UAV equipped with standard remote ID, a remote ID broadcast module such as the pingRID, or flying at a Federally Recognized Identification Area.

<p>The post UAvionix launches module to meet FAA mandate first appeared on GPS World.</p>