FAA Warns Boeing 747S,777S Prone To 5G Interference

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) updated information Tuesday, indicating about 90% of the U.S. fleet is approved for flights as the rollout of 5G networks begins. 

*FAA ISSUES DIRECTIVES RESTRICTING FLIGHTS ON TWO BOEING MODELS
*BOEING 777S, 747S SUBJECT TO 5G INTERFERENCE, U.S. FAA SAYS

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 25, 2022

FAA announced large, long-range wide-body airliners, including Boeing 747S and Boeing 777S, are subjected to 5G interference. The agency has issued safety directives for both planes. 

The rollout of 5G has been a big mess in American skies. AT&T and Verizon began deploying the new high-speed cellular network on Jan. 19 while agreeing to create buffer zones around certain airports. 

The crux of the problem lies in the aircraft’s radar altimeter uses frequencies close to C-band. 5G towers also use C-band radio spectrum frequencies that have the potential to disrupt radar altimeters, an important device on aircraft that informs the pilot of the altitude. 

Here are the current aircraft models with radar altimeters cleared by the FAA (note the “S” variant of the 747 and 777 aren’t on the list). 

As for the Boeing 747S and 777S, the agency nor the airplane manufacturer has yet to release a workaround or radar altimeter replacement for the planes. Disruptions to passenger and or air freight flights are not yet known.