Raytheon Intelligence & Space provide Marines expeditionary JPALS for operational demo.

Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S), a Raytheon Technologies  business, deployed an expeditionary Joint Precision Approach and Landing System to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, for three weeks in June 2021. Supported by a team of RI&S employees, the eJPALS deployment provided an opportunity for the Marines to demonstrate the system’s expeditionary capabilities with the F-35B.

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The system used for this operational demo is an incremental version, providing a glimpse of the potential capabilities of the final version. eJPALS currently transmits one approach at a time but can change between different touchdown points in seconds. The final product will be able to display 50 different touchdown points simultaneously in a 20-mile radius.(Picture source: Raytheon)

JPALS is a high-integrity differential GPS navigation and precision approach landing system that guides aircraft onto aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships in all weather and surface conditions. eJPALS transforms the proven system into an expeditionary configuration for use in austere land environments.

“This demonstration showed the flexibility and capability of eJPALS,” said Denis Donohue, vice president, Communications & Airspace Management Systems, RI&S. “No military landing aid currently exists outside of this system that can provide multiple approaches at different distant locations with one stationary system.”

A first in military flight, the system transmitted a touchdown point to a simulated large-deck amphibious ship landing area nearly 12 miles away. With the click of a button, the system could switch between any of 10 different, adapted touchdown points. In total, there were 50 combined straight-in and vertical landing approaches while the system continuously broadcast 10 hours per day, for more than 12 days.

eJPALS gave Marine pilots the ability to train with the system and perfect their approach prior to landing on a 700-foot-long ship moving at 20 mph. Pilots who were already experienced using JPALS were able to improve their skills with the system.

The system used for this operational demo is an incremental version, providing a glimpse of the potential capabilities of the final version. eJPALS currently transmits one approach at a time but can change between different touchdown points in seconds. The final product will be able to display 50 different touchdown points simultaneously in a 20-mile radius.