Navigation Aids
Safer, more reliable, more efficient and more digital
Keep track your position
To know their position within the airspace along their flight route, aircraft pilots rely on GNSS. These systems connect the aircraft to satellites that in turn provide them with coordinates. Aircraft receive position, distance, heading, height, all information from the Navigation aids sensors on the ground and / or satellite. GNSS, however, as vulnerable to spoofing - wrong coordinates are purposefully transmitted to the aircraft - and jamming - the aircraft is unable to receive the signal. Without these coordinates or, worse, with the wrong coordinates, flight safety is compromised.
Navigation aids are developed as an essential support system to address this challenge. Aircraft flight plans are entered into the system, and a network of connected ground sensors along the path provides the aircraft with waypoints it must follow to stay safely en-route. During navigation, sensors installed on aircraft receive position, distance, heading, height, all information from the Navigation aids sensors on the ground. Information is relayed through Radio Frequencies (RF). With new technology aircrafts and systems, fly and land / take off even in completely overcast weather and difficult meteorological conditions are safe.
Stay safely connected during your navigation
Building on years of experience, successfully providing 10,000 systems in 170 countries, Thales offers a complete portfolio of high performance and reliable Navigation Aids products. With advanced, secure features designed to shape the future for civil and military aviation, our innovations are fitting all mandatory regulations, thus, meeting all customers’ requirements with a sustainable investments.
The portfolio includes Landing systems supporting the aircraft during the airport approach and landing phases of the flight.
Our products and solutions
DME Capabilities for en-route and approach guidance
Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) is used to provide en-route and approach guidance and tells a pilot how far his aircraft is from the ground station concerned. That means it's an important device! Thales delivers innovative DME 5x products available in Indoor and Outdoor applications. Compact with simplified design and based on digital technology, the new generation of DME 5x allowed an increased DME performance significantly increase safety and reliability for the most challenging civil and military applications.
CVOR / DVOR
Conventional VOR and Doppler VOR. New generation of ground-based radio navigation aids that enable an aircraft to determine its bearing relative to the location of the system supporting approach and en route guidance. The new generation of VOR 5x benefit of a higher performance & reliability thanks to the modern design and the latest technologies integrated.
Tactical naval, military, ground based navigation aids capabilities
TACAN is a system used by military aircraft and provides bearing and range information for civil aviation when it is used as DME. Thales’ TACAN family of products are the most technologically advanced TACAN available today. We deliver a broad range of TACAN ground based Navigation Aids solutions available for Fixed Site, Shipboard, Mobile and Man-Portable operations.
ILS
Instrument Landing System for safe airport landing providing operationally safe, suitable, and effective precision guidance approach and landing. Thales’ ILS products are certified for operations according to ICAO CAT I, II and III and are delivered in fixed and deployable applications for civil and military customers.