The Blue Avionics BA-440 router/filter is now FAA and EASA certified to provide Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS) Mode 5 alerting during Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach using the existing EGPWS. The system is designed to meet the LPV TAWS Mode 5 alerting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) LPV approach mandate. Initial certification has been on the Bombardier Q400 aircraft and was performed by Canard Aerospace.
Launch customer airBaltic is installing the BA-440s together with the Universal Avionics UNS-1Ew Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) Flight Management System (FMS). “In fact, the BA-440 has salvaged our E-GEN project we perform in cooperation with European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA). The project aim is to equip our turboprop fleet with modern, LPV capable FMS, but we had come to a dead-end with the TAWS Mode 5 Alert requirement until [we found] the BA-440 router/filter ,” said Aleksandrs Vorobjovs, airBaltic avionics engineer.
The BA-440 detects and combines the LPV data from the SBAS FMS with the general-purpose bus to EGPWS while in LPV mode. This allows existing EGPWS to provide Mode 5 Alerting and provides annunciations to the cockpit during both ILS and LPV approaches per AC20-138C.
“The SBAS FMS provides operators with LPV approach capability that can be used all over the world. Using the Blue Avionics BA-440 with Universal Avionics SBAS FMS allows airlines and operators to have TAWS Mode 5 Glideslope alerting to meet AC20-138C requirements today,” said Grady Dees, Universal Avionics director of technical sales.