Electronic Landing Aids for Carrier Aircraft

With no comparable change in landing areas, the landing speed of carrier aircraft has approximately doubled over the past 15 years. For this and other reasons the carrier landing procedure has become a very difficult task for which the aid of automatic electronic devices is sorely needed. Such systems would also greatly improve the continuity of flight operations through periods of poor visibility. A brief background of the problem is presented. The most recently developed fully automatic landing system consists of a three-coordinate tracking radar which provides closed-loop control through a ground-based computer, a ground-to-air data link and an autopilot in the aircraft. Recent successful sea trials indicate that the characteristics of this system are sufficiently accurate to provide a practical solution for the carrier landing problem.