FreeFlight Systems has introduced the RA-4500 Mark II (MK II) radar altimeter (RADALT) as an upgrade path for existing customers.
The RA-4500 MK II upgrades existing RA-4000s and RA-4500s with a “robust 5G mitigation solution,” according to company officials.
With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approving the use of a previously reserved Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum in the lower C Band in support of 5G deployment for cell phone companies, many currently RADALTs, including the RA-4000 and RA-4500, have been found to be susceptible to incorrect altitude readings due to C Band 5G interference, FreeFlight officials noted.
During recent testing, many currently fielded RADALTs from various manufacturers, including the FreeFlight Systems’ RA-4000 and RA-4500, were shown to be vulnerable to strong C Band 5G RF interference. While FreeFlight Systems’ new TERRAIN Series RA-5500 and RA-6500 have been designed to mitigate C Band 5G interference, the previous RA-4000 and RA-4500 RADALTs were designed and certified between 2008 and 2009 before the effects of 5G interference were known.
For aircraft with existing RA-4000 and RA-4500 RADALTs, FreeFlight Systems is introducing the RA-4500 MK II radar altimeter as a simple drop-in replacement that uses the existing wiring, structural, and antenna provisions already on the aircraft. This ensures aircraft owners can quickly address the risk of 5G interference and FAA Airworthiness Directives (ADs) with no modifications to their aircraft, company officials said.
This path for upgrade is available to all FreeFlight Systems customers ranging from business aviation, general aviation, military and defense, uncrewed aviation, and rotorcraft platforms.
FreeFlight Systems’ new line of radar altimeters, the TERRAIN Series, is available to those who are not current customers of FreeFlight Systems’ RA-4000 or RA-4500 radar altimeters. The TERRAIN Series uses a combination of internal filtering and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology that can tolerate out-of-band 5G interference, as well as other RF interferences, company officials said.
For more information: FreeFlightSystems.com.