The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council achieved what it called a major milestone this week in the global standardization and rollout of new dual-frequency multi-constellation (DFMC) capabilities for international aviation’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). DFMC GNSS allows for the combination of dual frequency signals from up to four GNSS constellations simultaneously, including GPS (U.S.), Galileo (EU), Glonass (Russia), and BeiDou (China).
Advances in aircraft-, satellite-, and ground-based augmentation systems have allowed for the capability, which will become more prevalent as aircraft become increasingly equipped with DMFC-capable avionics.
Global aviation GNSS capabilities rely mainly on just one constellation and one frequency via GPS L1, meaning that the new multi-constellation capability will assure greater system accuracy and redundancy, delivering air network capacity and safety benefits.
“This is an important development toward improving the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of international air transport through more precise airspace management and more efficient routes and procedures,” said ICAO Council president Salvatore Sciacchitano. “Eventually, these new standards will provide international aviation with access to an extensive global infrastructure and over 50 new GNSS satellites.”
ICAO has worked closely with Eurocae and the RTCA on the development of the standards, added ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar. “These types of partnerships are very cost-effective while improving end results, and by managing the overall process through the ICAO Navigation Systems Panel, it means that the global constellations now being operated by individual states and the European Union will be able to be confidently embraced and benefitted from by the many other countries in our global network,” he concluded.