Editing Loran-C (section)

== Future ==
As LORAN systems are maintained and operated by governments, their continued existence is subject to public policy. With the evolution of other electronic navigation systems, such as [[satellite navigation]] systems, funding for existing systems is not always assured.

Critics, who have called for the elimination of the system, state that the LORAN system has too few users, lacks cost-effectiveness, and that [[Satellite navigation|Global Navigation Satellite System]] (GNSS) signals are superior to LORAN.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} Supporters of continued and improved LORAN operation note that LORAN uses a strong signal, which is difficult to jam, and that LORAN is an independent, dissimilar, and complementary system to other forms of electronic navigation, which helps ensure availability of navigation signals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.loran.org/ILAArchive/eLoran%20Definition%20Document/eLoran%20Definition%20Document-1.0.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902092846/http://www.loran.org/ILAArchive/eLoran%20Definition%20Document/eLoran%20Definition%20Document-1.0.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2009|title=Enhanced Loran (eloran) Definition Document|publisher=International Loran Association|access-date=18 July 2010|date=16 October 2007}}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7459213.stm "GPS back-up 'needs more research' "]. [[BBC Online]], 20 June 2008, Retrieved 5 October 2010</ref>

On 26 February 2009, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget released the first blueprint for the [[2010 United States federal budget|Fiscal Year 2010 budget]].<ref>Office of Management and Budget. (www.budget.gov), "A New Era of Responsibility Renewing America's Promise" The FY 2010 Budget, Department of Homeland Security Section, page 72</ref> This document identified the LORAN-C system as "outdated" and supported its termination at an estimated savings of $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years.

On 21 April 2009 the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released inputs to the FY 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution with backing for the continued support for the LORAN system, acknowledging the investment already made in infrastructure upgrades and recognizing the studies performed and multi-departmental conclusion that eLoran is the best backup to GPS.

Senator [[Jay Rockefeller]], Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, wrote that the committee recognized the priority in "Maintaining LORAN-C while transitioning to eLORAN" as means of enhancing the national security, marine safety and environmental protection missions of the Coast Guard.

Senator Collins, the ranking member on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrote that the President's budget overview proposal to terminate the LORAN-C system is inconsistent with the recent investments, recognized studies and the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard. The committee also recognizes the $160 million investment already made toward upgrading the LORAN-C system to support the full deployment of eLoran.

Further, the Committees also recognize the many studies which evaluated GPS backup systems and concluded both the need to back up GPS and identified eLoran as the best and most viable backup. "This proposal is inconsistent with the recently released (January 2009) Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP), which was jointly prepared by DHS and the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Transportation (DOT). The FRP proposed the eLoran program to serve as a Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) backup to GPS (Global Positioning System)."

On 7 May 2009, President Barack Obama proposed cutting funding (approx. $35 million/year) for LORAN, citing its redundancy alongside GPS.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/05/obama_budget_cu.html| title = Obama: Budget cuts add up to 'real money'}}</ref> In regard to the pending Congressional bill, H.R. 2892, it was subsequently announced that "[t]he Administration supports the Committee's aim to achieve an orderly termination through a phased decommissioning beginning in January 2010, and the requirement that certifications be provided to document that the LORAN-C termination will not impair maritime safety or the development of possible GPS backup capabilities or needs."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9008247 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723173756/http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9008247 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 July 2012 |title=H.R. 2892--Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 |date=8 July 2009 |publisher=C-SPAN.org |access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref>

Also on 7 May 2009, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a report citing the very real potential for the GPS system to degrade or fail in light of program delays which have resulted in scheduled GPS satellite launches slipping by up to three years.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-670T|title=Global Positioning System: Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities|first=U. S. Government Accountability|last=Office|date=7 May 2009|issue=GAO-09-670T|via=www.gao.gov}}</ref>

On 12 May 2009 the March 2007 Independent Assessment Team (IAT) report on LORAN was released to the public. In its report the ITA stated that it "unanimously recommends that the U.S. government complete the eLoran upgrade and commit to eLoran as the national backup to GPS for 20 years." The release of the report followed an extensive Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) battle waged by industry representatives against the federal government. Originally completed 20 March 2007 and presented to the co-sponsoring Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Executive Committees, the report carefully considered existing navigation systems, including GPS. The unanimous recommendation for keeping the LORAN system and upgrading to eLoran was based on the team's conclusion that LORAN is operational, deployed and sufficiently accurate to supplement GPS. The team also concluded that the cost to decommission the LORAN system would exceed the cost of deploying eLoran, thus negating any stated savings as offered by the Obama administration and revealing the vulnerability of the U.S. to GPS disruption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=597861 |title=Loran Study Finally Unleashed: Says Keep It, Best Option - GPS System Integration Design & Test |access-date=2009-05-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529024126/http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=597861 |archive-date=29 May 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In November 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the LORAN-C stations under its control would be closed down for budgetary reasons after 4 January 2010 provided the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security certified that LORAN is not needed as a backup for GPS.<ref>{{Cite web | title = USCG LORAN Program Manager release, Nov. 2009 | date = 31 May 2007 | url = http://www.uscg.mil/ANNOUNCEMENTS/alcoast/675-09_alcoast.txt | access-date = 28 November 2009}}</ref>

On 7 January 2010, Homeland Security published a notice of the permanent discontinuation of LORAN-C operation. Effective 2000 UTC 8 February 2010, the United States Coast Guard terminated all operation and broadcast of LORAN-C signals in the United States. The United States Coast Guard transmission of the Russian American CHAYKA signal was terminated on 1 August 2010. The transmission of Canadian LORAN-C signals was terminated on 3 August 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=loranMain|title=LORAN-C General Information|website=www.navcen.uscg.gov}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom eLoran implementation === <!-- Anthorn Radio Station links here: if you change the sub-heading, please fix the link as well. -->
On 31 May 2007, the UK Department for Transport (DfT), via the [[general lighthouse authority|general lighthouse authorities]], awarded a 15-year contract to provide a state-of-the-art Enhanced LORAN service to improve the safety of mariners in the UK and Western Europe. The service contract was to operate in two phases, with development work and further focus for European agreement on eLoran service provision from 2007 through 2010, and full operation of the eLoran service from 2010 through 2022. The first eLoran transmitter was situated at [[Anthorn Radio Station]] Cumbria, UK, and was operated by [[Babcock International]] (previously Babcock Communications).<ref>{{Cite web | title=The GLAs award a 15-year eLoran contract to Babcock Communications  | publisher=[[Trinity House]]  | date=31 May 2007  | url=http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/media_centre/press_releases/2007/enhancing_safety_protection_marine_environment_glas_award_15-year_eloran_contract_vt_communications.html  | access-date=27 May 2010  | url-status=dead  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319051314/http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/media_centre/press_releases/2007/enhancing_safety_protection_marine_environment_glas_award_15-year_eloran_contract_vt_communications.html  | archive-date=19 March 2011  | df=dmy}}
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The UK government granted approval for seven differential eLoran ship-positioning technology stations to be built along the south and east coasts of the UK to help counter the threat of jamming of global positioning systems. They were set to reach initial operational capability by summer 2014.<ref>Nautilus International Newspaper August 2013</ref> The general lighthouse authorities of the UK and Ireland announced 31 October 2014 the initial operational capability of UK maritime eLoran. Seven differential reference stations provided additional position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information via low-frequency pulses to ships fitted with eLoran receivers. The service was to help ensure they could navigate safely in the event of GPS failure in one of the busiest shipping regions in the world, with expected annual traffic of 200,000 vessels by 2020.<ref>GPS World. December 2014.</ref>

Despite these plans, in light of the decision by France and Norway to cease Loran transmissions on 31 December 2015, the UK announced at the start of that month that its eLoran service would be discontinued on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Notice To Mariners  | publisher=[[Trinity House]]  | date=1 December 2015  | url=http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/mariner_info/notice_to_mariners/e/01122015.html  | access-date=30 December 2015  | url-status=dead  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112222/https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/mariner_info/notice_to_mariners/e/01122015.html  | archive-date=4 March 2016  | df=dmy}}</ref> However to allow for further research and PNT development, the eLoran timing signal is still active from the government facility in [[Anthorn Radio Station|Anthorn]].<ref name="GPSWorld">{{cite web|url=https://www.gpsworld.com/with-new-space-program-uk-continues-march-to-more-holistic-pnt/| title=With new space program, UK continues march to more holistic PNT | date=25 September 2020 |publisher=GPS World |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>