Garmin has introduced three new systems designed for the FAA’s new generation air traffic control system, dubbed NextGen.
Unveiled at this summer’s AirVenture in Oshkosh were the GTS 800 and GTS 820 traffic advisory systems (TAS), and the GTS 850 traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS I).
According to officials with the Olathe, Kan.-based company, the new systems combine active and passive surveillance data to pinpoint specific traffic threats. The systems correlate Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and radar targets to provide pilots with the most accurate picture of the sky, company officials note.
“The GTS series incorporates ADS-B In technology, which is one of the cornerstones of the FAA’s NextGen program and worldwide airspace infrastructure,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “As ADS-B coverage improves worldwide, the expanded capabilities of the GTS system will be realized. We’re ready for the NextGen system.”
There are three distinct system configurations for the GTS series, according to company officials, who note each model creates a 360° zone of detection around an aircraft so that pilots can see and identify targets in their airspace that may pose a collision hazard.
The GTS 800 TAS is a lower-cost system offering 40 watts of transmit power and a range of up to 12 nautical miles. The GTS 820 TAS delivers 250 watts of transmit power and up to 40 nautical miles of interrogation range. The GTS 850 TCAS I features
the same 250 watt performance as the GTS 820, and also meets the FAA’s TCAS I certification criteria. The GTS 820 and GTS 850 are installed in conjunction with a Garmin Mode S transponder.
All GTS series products include Garmin’s patent-pending Correlated Location Enhanced ADS-B Receiver Collision Avoidance System (CLEAR CAS) technology, a hybrid system that provides real-time information that is independent of radar-based air traffic control. CLEAR CAS combines active and passive surveillance data, including 1090 MHz Extended Squitter ADS-B data (ADS-B Out required). In the future, the system can provide information about a target aircraft including flight ID, altitude, velocity and direction on select displays.
Traffic information from the GTS series is displayed on the map page or traffic page of Garmin’s panel mount aviation products and integrated display systems using TAS/TCAS symbology. Additional traffic symbology can be displayed on Garmin SVT-equipped PFDs. When the GTS product receives replies to its interrogations, it computes the responding aircraft’s range, bearing, relative altitude, and closure rate. Then, it enhances location data with data received from ADS-B Out equipped targets, plots the traffic location, predicts collision threats, and depicts the information on the traffic display. The system also includes expanded audio traffic alerts in an ATC-like format. For example, “Traffic; Eleven o’clock; High; Less than one mile.”
The GTS 800, 820 and 850 are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2009 for an expected list price starting at $9,995, $19,995, and $23,495, respectively.
For more information: Garmin.com.
