49NORTH RELEASES GLOBAL PROCEDURE DESIGNER, A PROVEN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PROCEDURE DESIGN SOLUTION REFRESHED FOR COMPLIANCE WITH LATEST REGULATIONS
Press Release
Full suite of functionality delivers advanced instrument flight procedure design capabilities
OTTAWA, ON, June 12, 2026 /CNW/ - 49North, a wholly owned subsidiary of MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA) (NYSE: MDA), today announced a significant refresh of its Global Procedure Designer (GPD), an established and operationally proven expert software tool for the design and sustainment of instrument flight procedures (IFP), updated to align with the latest regulatory criteria and data standards.
GPD is an advanced solution supporting procedure design in accordance with industry regulations – ICAO PANS-OPS, FAA TERPS, Transport Canada TP308, and NATO MIPS criteria. It enables highly efficient and precise design across all phases of flight through continuous evaluation against aeronautical data, terrain, and obstacles, supporting high standards of aviation safety.
Developed over more than two decades and in operational use globally, GPD has been used to design tens of thousands of conventional and RNAV procedures. The platform is deployed by defence organizations, including the United States Department of War and NATO members, as well as major air navigation service providers, where reliability and accuracy are mission critical.
This refresh is designed to ensure continued compliance with evolving international regulations and foundational data requirements, while maintaining the performance, usability, and reliability established through years of operational use. GPD automates complex calculations and continuously validates procedures against current criteria and datasets in order to reduce development timelines, enhance design consistency, and minimize the potential for human error.
The solution enables organizations to manage and sustain a complete repository of instrument flight procedures, maintaining alignment with ongoing changes in data and regulatory frameworks. It supports industry standards such as AIXM 5.1 and generates outputs required for validation, flight inspection, and publication, including ARINC-424 coding and digital geometry products.
Quotes
"Global Procedure Designer is a proven, mission-critical capability trusted by leading aviation and defence organizations worldwide. This refresh is designed to ensure continued alignment with evolving regulatory requirements while preserving the performance and reliability users depend on."
Joe Armstrong, President, 49North
About 49North
49North delivers sovereign Canadian defence capabilities with a focus on C4ISR and mission critical systems, strengthening decision advantage in complex and contested environments. Building on more than five decades of trusted Canadian defence delivery and prime contractor execution from MDA Space, 49North brings engineering discipline, operational reliability, and mission assurance to large, mission-critical defence programs. 49North integrates advanced sensing technologies, autonomous systems, secure digital mission systems, defence-qualified electronics, and long-term sustainment and in-service support of complex defence platforms across land, air, maritime, and joint domains. Headquartered in Ottawa, 49North brings trusted defence capability to reinforce Canada's long-term sovereignty and security.
www.49NorthDefence.com