Everything You Need to Know About 5G and Radar Altimeters

The potential for signals from 5G broadband networks to interfere with radar altimeters has been in the news lately – and with good reason.

Radar altimeters fly on most commercial airliners and provide essential altitude information to flight crews and onboard systems during instrument-based approaches and landings. Interference from 5G signals can cause lost or inaccurate radar altimeter information when it’s needed most to ensure safety, during final approach and landing, especially under low-visibility conditions.

Fortunately, the FAA has matters well in hand and is working with Airbus and Boeing, leading airlines, cellular companies and radar altimeter manufacturers to solve the 5G interference problem, which affects airline operations at about 300 airports across the U.S.

Using data gathered during extensive electromechanical interference (EMI) testing, the FAA determined that not all radar altimeters are created equal and one – Honeywell’s ALA-52B – outperforms all the rest when it comes to helping airlines overcome the 5G issue.

EMI testing proved the ALA-52B is the only currently available radar altimeter to show almost no sign of 5G interference. That’s because the ALA-52B uses bandpass radio-frequency filtering to deliver superior resilience to 5G interference and create the smallest protection radius available today. The FAA defines “protection radius” as the distance between a 5G base station and an aircraft. The smaller the protection radius, the more airports an aircraft can access without landing or navigation restrictions.

As a result, Airbus and Boeing aircraft currently flying with non-Honeywell radar altimeters may face operational restrictions when it comes to instrument landings and required navigation performance (RNP), meaning they are unable to land at night or in bad weather conditions at many airports.

Airbus and Boeing have received Alternative Means of Compliance (AMOC) certification from the FAA, which means the Honeywell ALA-52B can be installed with minimal downtime on a wide range of models, including the Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A340, and the Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787.

The ALA-52B is the ideal solution for domestic airlines and international carriers that fly widebody aircraft into the U.S. In addition to reaching out to the airlines directly, Honeywell is gearing-up production of the ALA-52B to meet anticipated market demand. Airlines are encouraged to evaluate their current situation and reach out to their Honeywell representative or contact us by clicking below to discuss their options.