Garmin announces WAAS, ADS-B position source

The GPS 3000 interfaces with existing avionics to help meet Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out requirements. Targeting the air transport, business aviation, and defense markets, the GPS 3000 also serves as a Wide Area Augmentation System/Satellite-Based Augmentation System (WAAS/SBAS) position source for select flight management systems, providing enhanced terminal, en route, and approach navigational capabilities.

Garmin said that it has implemented the ARINC standard for GNSS-to-FMS interface in the GPS 3000. The company does not have a list of potentially compatible FMSes, but the company does have a path to certification when a program is identified.

Aircraft initially eligible to use the GPS 3000 as an ADS-B position source are the Embraer E135/E145 and the Embraer Legacy 600/650, business aircraft versions of the popular regional airliner. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) supplemental type certification for the GPS 3000 in these aircraft is currently available from FTI Engineering, in cooperation with Atlas Air Service in Germany, and installation is available throughout the Garmin dealer network. FAA validation of FTI’s EASA STC is pending, and Garmin anticipates additional STCs as well. The FTI STC is for ADS-B only and does not integrate with the aircraft’s FMS.

“Garmin continues to lead the industry with the most fielded ADS-B solutions that span all segments of aviation, including a wide range of commercial, defense, regional, and business aircraft,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “We are thrilled to provide these aircraft with a solution that is cost-effective and is an easy-to-install alternative to the existing avionics manufacturer’s service bulletin.”

The GPS 3000 is a rugged, stand-alone, certified WAAS/SBAS GPS that meets DO-160 and DO-178B standards and is “designed specifically for the harsh environmental conditions encountered by commercial aircraft," Garmin said in a news release. It uses “enhanced WAAS/SBAS GPS satellite signals to provide precise position data through a standard interface" and “meets applicable high-integrity ADS-B position source standards, including TSO-C145d Class 3."

Garmin said the GPS 3000 also is designed to interface with select FMS to support GPS guidance during terminal, en route, and approach navigation. When appropriately configured, the GPS 3000 can allow an existing FMS to meet Required Navigation Performance requirements, and it can support GPS-based vertical approach navigation, such as Localizer Performance with Vertical (LPV) guidance approach procedures.

For additional information about Garmin’s ADS-B solutions for business, commercial, and regional aircraft, visit the website.