Which Tactical Air Navigation signals have top priority?

In Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) systems, Reference Bursts hold the highest priority among the various signal types. Reference Bursts are crucial because they provide critical timing information and serve as the primary reference for timing synchronization between the aircraft and the ground station. These bursts ensure that the navigation information is accurately interpreted and converted into usable data for pilots, allowing for precise aircraft positioning.

The Reference Bursts help establish a consistent communication channel within the TACAN system, ensuring that aircraft can rely on the information received. This reliability is vital for effective navigation, especially in complex or high-stakes operational environments.

While other signals, such as periodic signals, secondary signals, and backup signals, play important roles in the overall operation and redundancy of the navigation system, they do not surpass the importance of Reference Bursts in terms of priority. Periodic signals help in maintaining system functionality, secondary signals may provide additional data, and backup signals serve as a fallback in case of primary signal failure, but none are as essential as the Reference Bursts for establishing the navigation framework the system operates on.