Coast Guard Directed to Maintain and Upgrade Loran
June 16, 2009The U.S. Senate, in a Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 currently before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, directs the Secretary of Transportation to maintain the current Loran-C navigation system and prepare for modernization to eLoran, and authorizes $37 million per year for 2010 and 2011 towards that purpose. Similar action is also currently pending in the House.
It’s not all said and done yet, but things are looking up for the system that originated during World War II. A modernized or eLoran version has been proposed as a back-up for GPS and other pending GNSS systems, as both old and new versions are much more resistant to jamming. Current action in the Senate and before the House Appropriations Committee may be in part driven by the recent GAO report on GPS, as well as the 8-year old Volpe Report from the Department of Transportation, both of which pointed out GPS vulnerabilities.
The Coast Guard and its current overseer, the Department of Homeland Security, have repeatedly tried to kill LORAN in recent years, citing lack of money to maintain and operate the system, let alone upgrade it. And such may be true, as the agencies were previously directed to carry out these operations from the "general operating budget."
Each year Congress has restored LORAN to life with funding in one-year increments. The current measure may be just more of the same, although it appears to allocate enough money to begin modernization to eLORAN in earnest. It remains to be seen whether the $37 million twice over will survive the legislative process.
The significance of Congressional intent, if carried through, will be continuous longterm commitment to Loran as an essential, integral back-up to GPS. Without such a demonstrated commitment from the U.S. government, OEM manufacturers have been reluctant to design and produce integrated Loran/GPS chips or receivers. Despite demonstrated interest from aviation, marine, and other user sectors, these receivers are in very short supply on the market, and lack of volume has kept costs higher than they would otherwise be.
The Senate bill is sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, with co-sponsors Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, John D. Rockefeller, IV of West Virginia, and Olympia Snowe of Maine. Similar legislation is before the House Appropriations Committee.
The relevant sections of S.1194 read as follows:
SEC. 603. COAST GUARD TO MAINTAIN LORAN-C NAVIGATION SYSTEM.
(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Transportation shall maintain the LORAN-C navigation system until such time as the Secretary is authorized by statute, explicitly referencing this section, to cease operating the system but expedite modernization projects necessary for transition to eLORAN technology.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation, in addition to funds authorized under section 101 of this Act for the Coast Guard for operation of the LORAN-C system and for the transition to eLORAN, for capital expenses related to the LORAN-C infrastructure and to modernize and upgrade the LORAN infrastructure to provide eLORAN services, $37,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. The Secretary of Transportation may transfer from the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies of the Department of Transportation such funds as may be necessary to reimburse the Coast Guard for related expenses.
(c) REPORT ON TRANSITION TO ELORAN TECHNOLOGY- No later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating, shall provide a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure a detailed 5-year plan for transition to eLORAN technology that includes--
(1) the timetable, milestones, projects, and future funding required to complete the transition from LORAN-C to eLORAN technology for provision of positioning, navigation, and timing services; and
(2) the benefits of eLORAN for national transportation safety, security, and economic growth.
(end of S.1194 text excerpt)
LORAN (LOng Range Aid to Navigation) is a terrestrial radio navigation system using multiple low-frequency radio transmitters to determine location and/or speed of the receiver. LORAN-C which operates in the RF spectrum from 90 to 110 kHz. Many European countries strongly back Loran and are modernizing their installations. Russia has a nearly identical system in the same frequency range, called CHAYKA.
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