Smarter brains than mine will have done the sums but when would anyone start to see a pay-back here? Benefits only accrue when Heathrow is Cat III
and ATC has managed to get two or more BA 320s in trail. You might argue that MLS will ‘catch on’ and soon everyone will be doing it – but I wouldn’t believe you.
From 2003.
Avionics Magazine :: MLS: Back to the Future?
…… none of the three organizations or Thales, which supplies both avionics and ground stations, is prepared to discuss costs, independent estimates put the initial NATS/BAA investment, for four advanced MLS precision landing systems to be installed at London’s Heathrow airport, at around $20 million. BA’s MLS avionics bill for receivers in its 60-plus new Airbus A320 variants has been estimated at between $20 million and $50 million. The first airplane is scheduled to be delivered to BA in April 2004.