Maximizing Burst Erasure-Correction Capability of MDS Codes

In general, an (n,k) maximum distance separable (MDS) code over GF(p
^m
) can not correct all burst erasures of length (n-k)m over GF(p). In this letter, we constructively show that such a linear MDS code over GF(p
^m
) can be modified to correct all burst erasures of length up to (n-k)m over GF(p), while maintaining its MDS property over GF(p
^m
)