Aircraft Position-Fixing in a Multilateration System

The problem of increasing the level of civil aircraft flight safety in zones with no radar control for economic and geographic reasons is solved by applying a multi-position surveillance system. A promising means of data exchange between an aircraft and an air traffic controller (ATC) is automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) which provides transmission of aircraft navigation information. The problem of aircraft position-fixing in a multi-position surveillance system on the basis of multilateration technology in a stochastic statement has been formulated and its solution with the help of modern methods of optimal signal filtration has been proposed. To implement range tracking and pseudorange measurements in a multilateration (MLAT) system, the authors propose applying a second-order filter. An a priori model of signal delay dynamics has been proposed in order to synthesize a filter of the tracking system. Using the selected model for signal delay time, a Kalman-filter-based algorithm of optimal estimation and its characteristics were examined. The paper describes theoretical and experimental studies of a multilateration surveillance system and factors influencing its operation. The accuracy characteristics within the system coverage in accordance with the presumed location were analyzed. The research on characteristics of an MLAT system with a variant of station location in the Bodaybo region of Irkutsk regional center of air traffic management (ATM) was carried out.