Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bearing accuracy: TACAN can provide bearing resolution of +- 1
degree. Typical VOR bearing accuracy is +- 2 degrees.
A bearing error of 1 degree at 100 miles isn't likely to be
critical on land, but that same error at sea can mean the
difference between finding your carrier and a very long swim
home.
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Help me with that one. The TACAN ground station is on the ship, right?
If so, angular errors diminish as you approach the station and you
should end up at the ship, whether you started at 150 miles out with a 1
or 2 degree error.
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Know this is an old thread.. but..
1 degree sounds like a lot, and would be significant if you were 10 miles away, shot an azimuth and followed that for ten miles.. but with TACAN it's continuous feed of direction and distance so as you get close (picture a funnel) the error becomes less and less, and of course as a plane gets closer to a carrier there are many more control systems that "Capture" the aircraft and provide guidance and landing control.
For an idea of current TACAN and future trends (TACAN is not going away) google TRN 47 Marine Man Portable TACAN, URN 32 Shipboard TACAN.. Fernau TACAN 2010, and Moog MM7000