Military ship navy
Overview

Enabling Carrier Landings in All-Weather Conditions

SNC’s Shipboard Landing Systems provide reliable carrier landing capability in all-weather environments, including low visibility, cloud cover, low ceilings and high sea states associated with Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Designed for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft, these systems support operations under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) using radar, differential GPS or hybrid technologies.

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Our solutions range from precision approach radars and instrument-approach needles guidance to fully automatic landing systems that bring aircraft safely to the deck.

Features

System-Level Benefits

Adaptable architecture for airborne platforms and shipboard systems
All-weather takeoff and recovery performance across most sea conditions
GPS-denied operational capability
High reliability in shipboard topside environments with minimal maintenance

Proven Performance

Operational on F/A-18 E/F/G and E-2D
Demonstrated increase in boarding rate
Mission-critical for carrier landing operations
Deck-motion stabilization without external position data or local GPS

VISION-GUIDED PRECISION

‍IN NAVAL LANDINGS

Plane on ship
Mission Applications

AN/SPN-46(V) Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS)

The AN/SPN-46(V) ACLS provides precision approach and landing guidance for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps carrier aircraft in harsh weather and sea‑state conditions. It delivers positive control when visibility or ceiling limitations would otherwise restrict operations.

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Mode I — Automatic Control: Radar and ship systems feed flight parameters to a central computer, which transmits command signals to the aircraft for automatic landing.

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Mode II — Manual Display Control: Pilot uses cockpit display data to make manual landing corrections.

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Mode III — Manual Voice Control: Traffic controller provides pilot voice guidance for manual landing approach.

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SNC provides ongoing sustainment and operational improvement support for the AN/SPN-46(V) as part of the Navy’s broader Precision Approach and Landing System (PALS) architecture.

Plane taking off military ship
Mission Applications

AN/APN-246 ACLS Radar Beacon

Primary airborne component of the AN/SPN-46(V) precision approach landing system.

Only fully automatic, all-weather approach landing system for carrier aircraft
Enables long-range acquisition and precision guidance to the carrier deck
Form, fit and function replacement for the AN/APN-245
Plane landing on warship navy pilot
Mission Applications

AN/SPN-41 Instrument Carrier Landing System (ICLS)

All weather precision approach guidance using microwave beams displayed as cross-pointer needles in the cockpit.

Provides alignment for safe deck landings 
Monitors and serves as backup to AN/SPN-46(V) ACLS 
Enables backup to TACAN for the initial approach 
Operates aboard CV/CVN carriers and LHA/LHD amphibious assault ships 
Part of the Navy’s PALS suite of systems
Sierra Nevada Company (SNC) is a trusted leader in innovative, advanced technology solutions and open architecture integrations in aerospace and national security.
Mission Applications

AN/ARA-65 ICLS Receiver

Aircraft avionics receiver for shipboard AN/SPN-41 ICLS signals processing.

Enables precision approaches in IMC or night conditions
Translates shipboard transmitters into cockpit guidance cues
Form, fit and function replacement for the AN/ARA-63
Military Ship
Mission Applications

UAV Common Automatic Recovery System (UCARS)

Precision automatic launch and recovery control of both fixed- and rotary-wing UAVs during shipboard operations.

Control all the way to touchdown eliminates need for external pilots  
Includes built-in ship motion stabilization equipment 
Operates without GPS or ship position information  
Advantages

Flight-Proven Experience

Decades of delivering navigation and landing systems for carrier-based aircraft across Navy programs.

Carrier-Critical Reliability

High-confidence performance in challenging maritime environments, providing mission-critical capabilities for carrier air wings.

Integrated Shipboard Architecture

Systems designed to work across the Navy’s Precision Approach and Landing System (PALS) suite, ensuring alignment with carrier requirements and interoperability across aircraft.

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Sierra Nevada Company (SNC) is a trusted leader in innovative, advanced technology solutions and open architecture integrations in aerospace and national security.

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Sierra Nevada Company (SNC) is a trusted leader in innovative, advanced technology solutions and open architecture integrations in aerospace and national security.

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