Independent assessment of the Loran-C radio navigation system
The European Commission, DG VII (Transport), has recently published an open invitation to tenders for a study involving an independent assessment of the Loran-C radio-navigation system. The EU institutions see the development of a trans-European positioning and navigation systems network as crucial for ensuring reliability, safety and efficiency in all forms of transport. This is based on satellite positioning and navigation sytems, together with other systems, which remain to be identified. These should form part of the future European radio-navigation plan. However, some experts believe that the Loran-C radio navigation system has no place in future plans for radio-navigation in Europe, while others consider it to be an essential component, especially when incorporating the 'Eurofix' concept to broadcast GNSS differential corrections and integrity information on the Loran frequency. The European Commission now wants to know more about this system, to be able to come to an informed conclusion, which will be vital to establishing a coherent policy and to ensure that Community funding is not wasted in promoting irrelevant and obsolete systems. It will also be important for creating an opportunity to develop a valuable component of the trans-European positioning and navigation network, which should ensure that safety is not overlooked. For further information, please contact: European Commission DG VII - Transport Mr Salvarani 200 rue de la Loi (BU33) B-1049 Brussels Fax +32-2-2969483