Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Federal Aviation Authority of Russia, I wish to welcome all participants in the World-wide Conference and to wish you success in your work throughout this week.

We view the convening of this conference as signifying great progress on the part of the world aviation community, national aviation administrations and industry organizations throughout the world in the successful development and start of the practical implementation of the future CNS/ATM systems.

The Russian Federation has, for a long time, been one of the initiators of the implementation of the modern CNS/ATM systems using satellite technologies. For us, the implementation of communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) satellite systems in civil aviation activities is not a tribute to fashion, but rather an urgent necessity because of the size of our territory, as well as its physical - geographical and climatic conditions. This in no way means that we are giving up the use of ground-based CNS/ATM systems. Such systems will continue to be developed and improved in the European part of Russia, as well as in the southern part of Siberia and the Far East. In the remaining part of the Russian Federation, communications and navigation satellite systems will mainly be used, as well as automatic dependent surveillance systems implemented on the basis of those systems.

Work has now started on the modernization of the largest automated air traffic control (ATC) systems in Europe at Moscow and Rostov. The selection of the equipment necessary for the modernization will be made on the basis of competition.

The development of the necessary documentation for the holding of the competition for the modernization of the ATC system of the Far East region of the Russian Federation is coming to an end. It is planned first of all to implement the modern fixed and mobile communications system, with subsequent upgrading to meet ATN requirements. At this stage of modernization, it is also intended to implement ATC automation resources on the basis of automatic dependent surveillance, taking into account the experience acquired in the implementation of the ADS-CPDLC system in the Magadan area control centre. The Magadan system is presently undergoing testing. It will be brought into regular operation at the end of this year.

As was already noted by the President of the Council of ICAO, Dr. Kotaite, in his address, an organizational meeting of the ICAO informal co-ordinating group on trans-Asian, trans-Siberian and trans-Polar routes (ITASPS) was held in Moscow in April of this year. The group's tasks, terms of reference and work programme for 1998 were defined. One of the main areas of the group's work is the opening of new trans-Polar airways, bringing together North America with the countries of South-East Asia on the shortest routes. Savings in flight time for airlines using these routes will amount to two to four hours. Flights on these routes will be performed using the future CNS/ATM systems.

Furthermore, it is intended to undertake work on the improvement of flights on trans-Siberian and trans-Asian routes, as well as opening new routes from Europe to the west coast of North America.

It is intended to undertake all of this work in conjunction with ICAO and IATA.

As you all well remember, an agreement was formalized in 1996 between ICAO and the Government of the Russian Federation, providing world civil aviation with the possibility of using the Russian global navigation satellite system (GLONASS). At that time, the GLONASS system was fully deployed and had a complement of 24 navigation satellites in operation. Russian experts are taking an active part in the development of international standards for GNSS and the necessary documents and recommendations for the soonest possible use of satellite navigation systems.

Unfortunately, prevailing economic difficulties did not make it possible for us to maintain the GLONASS constellation in its full complement. There are at present 14 GLONASS navigation satellites operating in orbit. In the third quarter of this year, it is planned to launch another three satellites with one rocket launcher.

In accordance with our concept for the use of GNSS for civil aviation purposes, we are already planning in the initial phase to make widespread simultaneous use of the two satellite navigation systems, GPS and GLONASS. For this purpose, four types of combined GPS/GLONASS receivers have been developed in the Russian Federation and have now been prepared for testing.

The simultaneous use of the combined GPS/GLONASS satellite constellation even in the existing form together with functional expansions already now makes it possible to ensure that all of civil aviation's requirements for en-route and terminal area navigation will be met and to provide support for approach and landing operations under ICAO Category I conditions and also, in the future, under Category II and III conditions. The cost of the combined GPS/GLONASS receiver, according to our industry's data, will exceed the cost of single GPS or GLONASS receivers by not more than 10-15%. The quality of the combined receiver that is achieved in terms of the accuracy and integrity of receiving navigation information is incommensurate with the losses in the cost of the receiver.

Thus, in our view, all the necessary conditions already now exist for the widespread use of the existing satellite navigation systems. It is now necessary to speed up the development and approval of the ICAO SARPs for GNSS and our specialists will contribute to this process with all the means at their disposal.

On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation, I confirm the provision, to the world aviation community, of the standard accuracy channel of the GLONASS satellite navigation system on a non-discriminatory basis without the collection of direct charges from users over a period of 15 years, starting from the date of the conclusion of the agreement between the Russian Federation and ICAO.

As before, we do not intend to use any methods whatever to degrade the accuracy of the navigation signal of the GLONASS satellite navigation system.

The necessary action is being undertaken in the Russian Federation to restore the GLONASS satellite navigation system constellation by the start of the widespread use of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) of world civil aviation on the basis of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. We hereby confirm the earlier stated performance of the GLONASS system in terms of the accuracy and accessibility of the navigation information.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is the view of the Russian Delegation that the convening of the World-wide Conference with an all-embracing discussion of the existing problems of a technical, financial, institutional and legal nature will contribute to the soonest possible implementation of the future CNS/ATM systems at the national, regional and global levels. We wish everyone success in resolving this problem which is of the utmost significance for world civil aviation.

Thank you for your attention.

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