Tuesday, Apr 30, 2002
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By Gargi Parsai
To support their claim Raytheon, along with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the American Embassy officials here, participated here today in a conference on `Global Navigation Satellite System' (GNSS). Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the conference, Raytheon's Director for Asia/Pacific Area International Air Traffic Control, D. Alan Gardiner, said the Indian system's footprints would cover a large area of neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan up to Kazakhstan and South Africa, Bay of Bengal, and Myanmar on the east. China is "looking into the system'', while Australia might go in for ground based radio-stations for navigation which will not be as effective as it will have large gaps in the footprints. Raytheon's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is operational in the U.S. for transportation, but has not yet been commissioned for aviation. Twenty-five ground stations in the U.S. would be taken up to 40 to 50. They hope to win a FAA certification by December 2003. Raytheon is setting up the system for the Japan Government as well. For India, the deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for changing over to the Rs. 500 crore new system is 2010. Each country's sovereignty will be protected by its own global positioning system and each country's certification will be by its sovereign agencies, the Raytheon officials said. According to Dan Hanlon of the FAA, the technical cooperation with India "doesn't do a lot for the U.S. but makes aviation safer''. He said the FAA was working closely with the AAI and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to help identify "where to go from here''. Acknowledging the American role in providing technical cooperation, the Secretary, Civil Aviation, K. Roy Paul, said, "India was not looking for financial aid with the U.S. What it needs is transfer of technology, expert advise and most of all, seamless relationship between organisations.'' Mr. Paul said India had set up a National Committee on Communication, Navigation and Surveillance of Air Traffic Management with representation from the ISRO, the AAI, and the Indian Air Force. This Committee has decided to go in for satellite-based navigation system. The need for such a sophisticated system was felt in view of the growing traffic in the skies, which the existing navigational means will not be able to cope with. The U.S. Embassy's Deputy Chief de Mission, Albert A. Thibault, while mentioning that the Indo-U.S. relations were undergoing a "dramatic transformation'', said Washington was prepared to provide all assistance to satellite navigation in India. "The improvement in relations got more momentum after the September 11 incidents resulting in deepening of engagements,'' S.K. Narula, Chairman of AAI, said the AAI had signed an MoU with the ISRO for initiating a joint programme for implementation of the satellite navigation system. There was a memorandum of cooperation with the FAA. The AAI also has an agreement with the Trade and Development Agency of the U.S. This Agency has offered a $500,000 training to facilitate execution of India's project, if Raytheon wins the bid. India's Satellite Based Navigation System Christened as Geo and Global Positioning System (GPS) augmentation navigation (GAGAN) has the potential to develop into a regional system. When fully implemented it will be possible for the AAI to phase out its ground Based Navigation Aids and Landing Aids to a large extent and provide seamless navigation for aircraft flying across Indian airspace.
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