L-3 Aviation Products (L-3 AP) announced today that its Lynx® NGT-9000 has received TSO authorization for the additional capabilities of a Class B embedded Terrain Awareness Warning System (eTAWS) option and an ADS-B Traffic Advisory System (ATAS) aural alerting option. L-3's Lynx NGT-9000 is an ADS-B touchscreen transponder that is also capable of displaying traffic and weather data.

“These new capabilities represent the first in a series of growing options for the Lynx NGT-9000, with the goal of increasing pilot safety and situational awareness,” said Larry Riddle, L-3 Aviation Products' vice president of marketing and sales for General Aviation. “Lynx is much more than an ADS-B transponder and these additional software capabilities expand the system to satisfy the needs of multiple aircraft platforms.”

The newly added features are software upgrades to the existing Lynx NGT-9000 operating system. The eTAWS option adds an additional screen to the display, highlighting terrain surrounding the aircraft to provide pilots with a Class B TAWS solution where mandated, while the ATAS option provides an aural alert for intruder ADS-B traffic to help pilots visually acquire potential traffic threats.

The Lynx Class B eTAWS option brings terrain alerting through both graphic and aural warnings. The color-coded terrain screen provides a surveillance range of 24 nautical miles and will alert the pilot when a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) is imminent. The Lynx unit will automatically switch to the eTAWS screen when a terrain warning is issued and will alert the pilot of the terrain situation through the audio panel. The Lynx eTAWS page also shows land-based obstacles. Alerts for Negative Climb Rates and other Ground Proximity Warnings (GPWs) are also included with the eTAWS option.

The Lynx ATAS option announces the range, bearing and relative altitude of intruder aircraft through the cockpit audio system. Pilots will hear warnings such as “Traffic, traffic, three o'clock high, two miles.” This aids the pilot in referencing where an approaching aircraft is located, allowing a heads-up approach to identifying traffic threats. “Aural traffic alerting is a standard part of the NGT-9000+ Active Traffic Model,” added Mr. Riddle. “The new ATAS option adds this audio capability to ADS-B traffic on any NGT-9000 model.”