SBAS Standards Comparison
Scope
This page compares standards source families, not operational approvals. It does not certify that a document supports a specific numerical requirement or procedure. Use SBAS Standards Source Matrix for the current source-routing table.
Provenance status
Several earlier draft mappings were corrected in the 2026-05-02 source-matrix cycle:
- Source - RTCA DO-242 is now red-flagged as ADS-B/surveillance related rather than an SBAS augmentation-system source.
- Source - RTCA DO-289 is now red-flagged as aircraft-surveillance related rather than an SBAS performance-testing source.
- Source - ICAO Doc 9854 is now red-flagged as the Global ATM Operational Concept rather than an SBAS performance-testing document.
- Source - ICAO Doc 9855 is now red-flagged as public-internet guidance for aeronautical applications rather than an SBAS technical-specification document.
- Source - ICAO Doc 9849 has been added as the current ICAO GNSS implementation-guidance anchor.
- Source - FAA TSO-C145e and TSO-C146e and Source - EASA ETSO-C145e and ETSO-C146e now separate FAA/EASA article-approval context from DO-229 MOPS and operational approval.
Source-family comparison
| Domain | Likely source family | Current KB source posture | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBAS airborne equipment | RTCA/EUROCAE airborne-equipment MOPS plus FAA/EASA TSO-ETSO article-approval layer | Source - RTCA DO-229, Source - FAA TSO-C145e and TSO-C146e, and Source - EASA ETSO-C145e and ETSO-C146e are now source-scaffolded | Detailed requirements, classes, installation approval, and operational approval require official RTCA, regulator, aircraft, operator, and procedure sources |
| SBAS state implementation | ICAO GNSS guidance and Annex 10 | Source - ICAO Doc 9849 added; Annex 10 note still needed | Guidance is not the same as an approval decision |
| SBAS service availability | Service-provider definitions, NOTAM/status, AIP/regulator material | Future service-provider notes needed | Do not infer availability from architecture |
| LPV procedures | Equipment MOPS + procedure design + AIP/regulator/operator sources | LPV page is source-scaffold-linked | Do not publish minima without procedure/source context |
| GBAS | GBAS standards, local service approvals, airport-specific publications | Current GBAS notes remain educational scaffolds | Do not compare precision using unsourced generic numbers |
| ABAS/RAIM | Receiver standards, PBN/regulator guidance, aircraft equipment approvals | Current notes are conceptual | Do not treat RAIM as interchangeable with SBAS integrity |
Comparison rules
When comparing SBAS with GBAS, ABAS, RAIM, or other augmentation methods:
- Compare architecture and source family first.
- Compare numerical performance only after matching source types are available.
- Avoid mixing airborne-equipment standards, service-provider commitments, procedure-design criteria, and regulator approvals in one unsupported table.
- Treat operational phrases such as available, approved, capable, certified, or precision as source-sensitive terms.
Current safe summary
- SBAS is a wide-area GNSS augmentation concept with ground monitoring, correction/integrity processing, broadcast, and receiver processing.
- GBAS is local-area augmentation and should be sourced through GBAS-specific standards and airport/service approvals.
- ABAS/RAIM are receiver/onboard integrity concepts and should not be presented as equivalent to SBAS service-level integrity without careful sourcing.
- LPV depends on an approved chain of SBAS service, airborne equipment, published procedure, operator/crew authorization, and real-time integrity conditions.