Exelis, UrsaNav, DHS and USCG partner to validate eLORAN

Exelis has signed cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with UrsaNav, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S), and the US Coast Guard (USCG) for testing and demonstration at the former LORAN-C sites.

The LORAN-C sites are the legacy ground-based radio navigation infrastructure of the decommissioned LORAN-C service, which could be retained and upgraded to provide eLORAN low frequency service.

Under the terms of the CRADA, the team will validate eLORAN as a potential complementary system to the existing global positioning system (GPS) that is currently in use across the US.

The service’s capabilities and potential utilisation methods would be comprehensively explored to identify all strengths, capacities, and potential vulnerabilities of the technology.

In particular, the agreement will see Exelis use the former LORAN-C assets to put eLORAN signals in space for research, test and demonstration of its ability to meet accurate positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) requirements of government and privately-owned critical infrastructure.

Exelis Civil & Aerospace Systems vice-president Ed Sayadian said: "eLORAN is an ideal technology to complement GPS for critical, resilient and assured PNT.

"eLORAN is a difficult to disrupt technology that offers PNT and wide area broadcast data capabilities indoors, in underground locations and other GPS-denied environments."

The first station to be used by Exelis for broadcast of a usable signal at a range up to 1000 miles will be located in Wildwood, New Jersey, US.

According to Exelis and UrsaNav, low frequency signals, such as eLORAN, operate independently of GPS signals and can provide alternative timing, either standalone, or as a component of a PNT service.