Honeywell International Inc.

23500 W. 105th Street

Olathe, Kansas 66061-8425
U.S.A.
CAGE: 22373
Telephone: 800-601-3099 (Toll Free U.S.A./Canada)
Telephone: 602-365-3099 (International Direct)

Website: https://aerospace.honeywell.com

SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER

This document is governed by the terms of the current Honeywell Confidential Notice and Materials License Agreement which can be found
by logging into https://aerospace.honeywell.com and going to Honeywell Material License Agreement.

A. Subject
Potential Interference to KRA 405B Radar Altimeter Systems from 5G Communication Devices

B. Effectivity
(1) Not Applicable.

C. Applicability
(1) This Service Information Letter (SIL) is applicable to the following Honeywell Part
Numbers (PNs):
• KRA 405B Receiver-Transmitter, PNs 066-01153-0101, -0202, -2001, -4001, and
-5001.

D. Reason
(1) To provide information regarding potential radio interference to Honeywell KRA 405B
radar altimeter systems which operate on the C-Band radio frequencies of 4.2-4.4 GHz
from 5G mobile communication devices in the United States.

E. Background
(1) Radar altimeters operate in an Aeronautical Radio Navigation Service (ARNS) spectrum
allocation in the 4.2-4.4 GHz radio frequency band, which is internationally recognized
and protected by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
(2) The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in the United States, has recently
reallocated a portion of the 3.7-4.2 GHz frequency band which lies adjacent to the radar
altimeter frequency band, making the frequency spectrum from 3.7-3.98 GHz in the
United States available for flexible use including 5G technology mobile communication
devices.
(3) This 3.7-4.2 GHz spectrum was auctioned by the FCC to prospective licensees beginning
in December of 2020. As of December 2020, no 5G devices are operating in this new
radio frequency allocation; however, once they do, aviation radar altimeters may be
susceptible to Radio Frequency (RF) interference from these 5G devices.
(4) The aviation industry has recognized the potential severity of this issue and is working
through various organizations including the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics
(RTCA) to petition the FCC to prevent such future interference from occurring. The

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Publication Number D202102001599
© Honeywell International Inc. Do not copy without express permission of Honeywell.
 SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER
This document is governed by the terms of the current Honeywell Confidential Notice and Materials License Agreement which can be found
by logging into https://aerospace.honeywell.com and going to Honeywell Material License Agreement.

possible effects from this interference may be erratic or inaccurate altitude values, or
No Computed Data (NCD) output from the radar altimeter resulting in failure indications
in the cockpit.

F. Solution
(1) Honeywell is monitoring the issue of potential RF interference to its KRA 405B radar
altimeter systems potentially caused by 5G signals.
(2) Honeywell has been actively participating in several industry activities to characterize
the interference impacts and coordinate with spectrum regulators on proposed solutions.
This includes direct involvement in interference testing campaigns and coordination with
the FCC through the Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute (AVSI). This includes providing
a key leadership role in RTCA Special Committee 239 which performed and published
the assessment on 5G interference in the United States.
(3) As a result, updates will be done (jointly with EUROCAE Working Group 119) to the
radar altimeter MOPS DO-155 and ED-30 to address RF interference performance.
Honeywell is also participating in aviation advocacy efforts led by the Aerospace
Industries Association (AIA) and Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc. (ASRI), including
co-signing a petition for reconsideration with the FCC.
(4) At the industry level, even though there have not yet been reports of interference because
the telecommunications industry has not yet been licensed to use the new allocated
spectrum, aviation stakeholders (including Honeywell), will continue to work hard to
ensure that radar altimeter systems such as the KRA 405B will be adequately protected.
(5) Honeywell is currently establishing additional testing capabilities to characterize the
interference susceptibility of the KRA 405B system and begin evaluating potential
solutions to improve its performance as necessary on a case-by-case basis. This SIL
will be updated when those results are available.

G. Summary
(1) The United States, FCC has recently reallocated a portion of the 3.7-4.2 GHz frequency
band which lies adjacent to the radar altimeter frequency band, making the frequency
spectrum from 3.7-3.98 GHz in the United States available for flexible use including 5G
technology mobile communications devices. Once these devices are operational in the
new 3.7-3.98 GHz band KRA 405B radar altimeter systems may be susceptible to RF
interference received from these new 5G devices. Honeywell will continue to work
through the RTCA to petition the FCC, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other
government agencies to provide a solution to ensure that potential interference from
the new 5G technology frequency band allocations will not disrupt the normal operation
of KRA 405B radar altimeter systems manufactured by Honeywell.

H. References
(1) RTCA Paper No. 274-20/PMC-2073, Assessment of C-Band Mobile Telecommunications
Interference Impact on Low Range Radar Altimeter Operations, Published October 7,
2020 by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics. The RTCA.org link to this
report is located at https://www.rtca.org/news/rtca-announces-new-white-paper-on-
5g-interference-impact-on-radar-altimeter-operations/

9 Feb 2021
Revision 0, 9 Feb 2021 Page 2
Publication Number D202102001599
© Honeywell International Inc. Do not copy without express permission of Honeywell.
 SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER
This document is governed by the terms of the current Honeywell Confidential Notice and Materials License Agreement which can be found
by logging into https://aerospace.honeywell.com and going to Honeywell Material License Agreement.

(2) RTCA Technical Webinar: Interference Risk to Radar Altimeters from Planned 5G
Telecom Systems. This webinar is located at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpYhjK2MDqM&t=1038s

I. Action
(1) Not applicable.

J. Contact Information
(1) The Honeywell Aerospace Technical Support (ATS) team can be contacted for additional
information on this service information letter.
Honeywell Aerospace Technical Support
Telephone: 1-800-601-3099 (Toll Free U.S.A./Canada)
Telephone: 1-602-365-3099 (International Direct)
Option 1 for Avionics or Option 2 for Mechanical.
E-mail: AeroTechSupport@honeywell.com
Website: https://aerospace.honeywell.com

K. Summary of Change
This is an INITIAL release.

L. Revision History
This service information letter has had no revision(s) as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Revision History

Revision Number Revision Date

0 9 Feb 2021

Export Control

These items are controlled by the U.S. government and authorized for export only to the country of ultimate
destination for use by the ultimate consignee or end-user(s) herein identified. They may not be resold, transferred,
or otherwise disposed of, to any other country or to any person other than the authorized ultimate consignee or
end-user(s), either in their original form or after being incorporated into other items, without first obtaining approval
from the U.S. government or as otherwise authorized by U.S. law and regulations.

ECCN: 7E994.

9 Feb 2021
Revision 0, 9 Feb 2021 Page 3
Publication Number D202102001599
© Honeywell International Inc. Do not copy without express permission of Honeywell.