Raytheon has demonstrated the rapid setup of its Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS), which can help aircraft land at austere, hastily-established airfields.
The work took place at US Navy (USN) Air Station Patuxent River, with a Raytheon team getting the system operational in 70 minutes on the first day, and 50 on the second.
“During the demonstration, military officials from all four services, as well as representatives from Japan, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Italy, watched multiple F-35Cs land on the same designated runway landing point every time over the course of six different approaches,” says Raytheon.
In May, the USN awarded Raytheon a $235 million contract for 23 JPALS systems. The fixed-price-incentive contract covered the launch of serial production, as well as installation of JPALS on the USN’s 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and eight amphibious assault ships.
JPALS is a differential, GPS-based precision landing system that guides aircraft to a landing spot, typically on a carrier deck.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
