The US Air Force has ordered a pair of transponder landing systems for Ukrainian F-16s to help them land on inhospitable runways.
Oregon-based Advanced Navigation and Positioning Corp. (ANPC) has been contracted to provide the transportable transponder landing systems (TTLS), with work expected to be completed by September, 2025.
The $14.3-million Foreign Military Sales contract includes associated containers and trailers, 12-month spare part kits, drone calibration, and an option for training.
Transponder Landing System
A transponder landing system is used for runways that cannot afford an Instrument Landing System (ILS), which allows an aircraft to land safely in poor visibility.
An ILS provides aircraft with lateral and vertical guidance through radio signals to safely reach the runway.
It includes a panoply of instruments and subsystems such as large radio antennas, hundreds of high powered lights mounted on tower arrays, and hundreds of kilometers of cabling.
Unlike an ILS, a containerized transponder landing system is ideal for runaways that move their position due to environmental variables such as snowfall.
It features a precision approach radar, a secondary surveillance radar, and an ILS.
A transponder landing system uses an airborne transponder and ILS equipment to create both vertical and lateral guidance.
ANPC’s Transponder Landing System
ANPC’s TTLS offers 360-degree situational awareness of an airfield up to 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers/ 115 miles).
It provides precision approach radar capabilities and instrument landing system guidance for up to four aircraft simultaneously.
The system doesn’t require GPS or other satellite-based navigation nor any upgraded avionics or additional pilot training, according to the manufacturer.
Moreover, the containerized system is transportable in a C-130, Chinook helicopter, rail car, or flatbed truck,and can be unloaded and deployed in less than eight hours.
The container serves as the operations center in locations where ATC facilities are not available and a primary radar may be added to employ full ASR (Airport Surveillance Radar) functionality.
F-16s in Ukraine
Ukraine has received about a dozen F-16s from the Netherlands and Denmark, primarily deployed in air defense roles.
The US has not committed any fighter aircraft for Ukraine but has been providing crucial upgrades for the aircraft to help it prevail over its Russian counterparts.
Moreover, Washington is also considering sending AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon medium-range missiles to Ukraine to enhance the lethality of the Lockheed platform.