L-3 adds terrain, aural traffic to NGT-9000
Upgrades enabled through software update
L-3 Aviation Products has received TSO authorization to add both a Class B embedded Terrain Awareness Warning System (eTAWS) and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Traffic Advisory System (ATAS) with aural alerting option to its Lynx NGT-9000. The NGT-9000 is a touchscreen Mode S transponder with integral ADS-B Out and In capabilities, able to display ADS-B In traffic and weather data.
ADS-B, which uses satellites instead of ground-based radar to determine aircraft location, is a primary technology behind the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control System. The FAA has mandated ADS-B Out equipage beginning January 1, 2020, for operations in most airspace where a transponder is required today.
“These new capabilities represent the first in a series of growing options for the Lynx NGT-9000, with the goal of increasing pilot safety and situational awareness,” said Larry Riddle, L-3 Aviation Products’ vice president of marketing and sales for general aviation. “Lynx is much more than an ADS-B transponder and these additional software capabilities expand the system to satisfy the needs of multiple aircraft platforms.”
The new features are available via software upgrades to the Lynx NGT-9000 operating system. The eTAWS option provides an additional screen for the display and highlights terrain surrounding the aircraft to offer a Class B TAWS solution where mandated. The ATAS option gives an aural alert for intruder ADS-B traffic—helping pilots more quickly acquire potential traffic threats visually and take action if appropriate.
The Lynx Class B eTAWS option provides terrain alerting through graphic and aural warnings. The color-coded terrain screen, which offers a surveillance range of 24 nautical miles, will alert the pilot of an impending controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident. When a terrain warning is issued, the unit automatically switches to the eTAWS screen and simultaneously alerts the pilot through the audio panel. The eTAWS page shows land-based obstacles, and the eTAWS option provides alerts for negative climb rates and other ground proximity warnings.
The ATAS option gives the range, bearing, and relative altitude of approaching aircraft through the cockpit audio system. “Pilots will hear warnings such as ‘Traffic, traffic, three o’clock high, two miles,’” the company said in a news release. These warnings help the pilot more quickly identify the location of the traffic, allowing a head-up approach to identifying traffic threats.
“Aural traffic alerting is a standard part of the NGT-9000+ Active Traffic model,” Riddle added. “The new ATAS option adds this audio capability to ADS-B traffic on any NGT-9000 model.”
L-3 Aviation Products offers a line of ADS-B Out solutions for the general aviation market, as well as a variety of other avionics. For more information, visit the company’s website.
