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**Local area augmentation system (laas)**

**status report**

December 31, 2003

**LAAS Status Report**

The LAAS Status Report is provided in accordance with the\
Fiscal Year 2002 DOT Appropriations Conference Report.

**Background**

LAAS is a critical component of the Federal Aviation Administration's
(FAA) plan to transition from a ground-based navigation and landing
system to a satellite-based navigation system. LAAS will provide
lateral, vertical and area navigation in terminal areas and precision
approach and landing service (CAT I/II/III) at an airport.

The program consists of three parts:

1.  The Government Industry Partnership (GIP)

2.  LAAS Category I System Design, Development and Production

3.  LAAS Category II/III Research and Development (R&D) followed by
    full-scale development

The LAAS GIP was established to develop a non-Federal Category I (CAT I)
system under the FAA type acceptance process. The GIP activities have
produced engineering prototypes; however, the GIP systems have not met
type acceptance criteria at this time and cannot be used operationally.

The LAAS CAT I Development Phase commenced April 2003 with a contract
award to Honeywell. The FAA plans to have the first LAAS CAT I system
operational in 2006.

Based on results of the LAAS CAT II/III R&D efforts, the FAA will make a
decision on the feasibility of awarding a full-scale development and
production contract.

**LISTED Below ARE the five specific area updates as requested by the FY
2002 DOT AppropriationS Conference Report.**

**1. [LAAS Category One (CAT I) Contract Award]{.underline}**

On April 30, 2003, the FAA awarded the contract for the Category I LAAS
to Honeywell International Inc., of Minneapolis, MN.

The current contract has three phases. Phase I, contractually valued at
\$16.7 million, provides for the software and hardware design. Phase II
and III are contract options that cover the development and production
of the system.

The LAAS Product Team is conducting monthly Technical Interchange
Meetings with Honeywell, and a LAAS Integrity Panel is in place to work
with Honeywell to resolve the key integrity risk issues.

During the first months of the CAT I contract, it became apparent that
the work required to resolve the integrity risks would take longer than
originally estimated by Honeywell. It also became apparent that
Honeywell's proposed design maturity was optimistic. Honeywell also had
difficulty obtaining sufficient resources to meet schedule milestones.
Numerous deliverables were late or rejected and system requirements
review slipped, indicating that Honeywell would not meet the proposed
schedule. The FAA directed Honeywell to submit a recovery plan so that a
more realistic cost and schedule could be developed. Honeywell submitted
a recovery plan that is currently under review by the LAAS Product Team.
Based on initial review of the recovery plan, the schedule for Phase I
will extend up to 18 months and cost increases will accompany the
schedule slip. CAT I Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is likely to
extend beyond 2006.

**2. [Category II/III integrity and continuity allocations between
avionics and ground equipment]{.underline}**

The FAA identified preliminary integrity and continuity allocations and
discussed them with the aviation industry at a Radio Technical
Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) working group meeting. The FAA
identified different possible approaches for LAAS CAT II/III
development, one of which depends significantly on the integration of
aircraft avionics and capabilities like inertial systems and enhanced
vision systems. First results on the feasibility of these approaches are
expected by November 2004. The FAA also entered into a contract with
Boeing to support "Trade-off Studies" where Boeing will provide analysis
toward completion of LAAS Ground Facility and aircraft requirements
allocation and validation. These analyses are ongoing and will continue
into November 2004 to support the development of Minimum Aviation System
Performance Standards by RTCA.

**3. [Finalization of the concept of operations for fiscal year 2003
development of airport procedures]{.underline}**

The LAAS Concept of Operations (CONOPS) was finalized on September 23,
2002, and approved by FAA Satellite Operational Implementation Team
(SOIT). The LAAS CONOPS was developed in coordination with avionics
manufacturers and system developers, user airlines, RTCA, and Department
of Defense (DoD).

**4. [Integration of LAAS capabilities into a certifiable avionics
receiver]{.underline}**

The FAA has contracted with Rockwell Collins to develop and integrate a
LAAS sensor into certifiable avionics. Prototype ("Red Label")
multi-mode receivers (MMR) are currently on hand for testing and
evaluation and are installed in aircraft of the FAA Technical Center in
Atlantic City. In March 2003, the FAA released the Technical Standard
Order (TSO) describing the performance requirements of the LAAS CAT I
avionics. The manufacturers have begun building MMRs against the
released TSO requirements.

**5. [Development of a data collection plan and initiation of flight
evaluations for development of complex LAAS approaches (e.g. curved,
segmented, and offset)]{.underline}**

The FAA developed an overall plan outlining the activities required for
the development of complex LAAS approaches. Flight testing and
evaluation of avionics supporting complex approaches are underway at the
FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City.

Development of airport specific complex procedures have commenced for
the initial LAAS sites: Chicago O'Hare, Memphis International, Houston
International, Phoenix, Seattle, and Juneau. These procedures are
expected to be completed by the LAAS CAT I IOC.