Revolutionizing Airport Surveillance Radar Design
Intersoft Electronics
We invent new radar technology and deliver CNS services to our partners worldwide to make the sky safer.
Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) design moves from monobloc to modular concepts and NORAs (Non-Rotating Arrays) are becoming a technologically and economically interesting alternative for rotating radar antennas. What’s driving those changes in airport surveillance radar design?
The relevance of primary radar
Primary Surveillance Radars (PSRs), as part of combined Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) systems, play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of airport operations. Unlike secondary surveillance radars, ADS-B and MLAT, primary surveillance radars operate independent from onboard equipment. This capability is essential for providing a comprehensive and reliable picture of all aircraft, including those without properly functioning transponders. Drones and other small flying objects are also not equipped with transponders. In addition, the accuracy of GPS signals, on which ADS-B relies, is not always good.
PSRs enhance situational awareness for air traffic controllers by offering continuous real-time data on the position, speed, and direction of all aircraft within a certain radius of the airport. This information is vital for managing busy airspace, preventing collisions, and ensuring safe takeoffs and landings. Moreover, PSRs are indispensable in detecting and tracking unidentified or non-cooperative targets, providing an additional layer of security.
These radars are also essential for maintaining air traffic flow during transponder failures or malfunctions, ensuring that aircraft can still be monitored and managed effectively. In adverse weather conditions or in areas with heavy air traffic, the robustness and reliability of PSRs are critical for maintaining operational safety.
Overall, PSRs remain a fundamental component of modern air traffic management systems, ensuring comprehensive coverage, enhancing safety, and supporting efficient airport operations. Their ability to operate independently of onboard aircraft systems makes them an indispensable tool for air traffic controllers in managing both routine and emergency situations.
Service life extension through modular system renewal
Twenty to thirty years is a normal lifespan for a PSR. In the world of electronics, however, this period is an eternity. Consequently, many PSRs suffer from obsolescence and substandard performance. They are no longer adapted to the changing environment with higher air traffic density and complex interferences.
Upgrading a PSR, rather than replacing it, offers several benefits. It is generally less expensive than a full replacement, minimizing capital expenditure and making use of existing infrastructure. Upgrades can often be implemented incrementally, allowing for continuous operation of the radar system and minimizing disruptions to air traffic management. These upgrades can incorporate the latest technological advancements in signal processing, detection algorithms, and integration capabilities, significantly improving the radar's performance and accuracy. By upgrading key components, the operational life of the radar system can be extended, providing additional years of reliable service and delaying the need for a full replacement. Upgrades also ensure that the radar system meets current regulatory and safety standards without the need for a complete overhaul, ensuring compliance with international and national aviation regulations.
Now, there’s a thin line between upgrading a system and renewing it step by step. By replacing obsolete or suboptimal performing modules in a phased approach, the system can be renewed completely over time. Typically, the receiver / signal processor subsystem is the first to be replaced. Next can be a new transmitter or a completely integrated Non-Rotating Array (NORA?) radar antenna. A modular renewal strategy involves gradually substituting parts of the radar system with newer modules, allowing for a phased transition to a state-of-the-art system. This approach maintains continuous operation and spreads the financial burden over time.
ASR-M?: the cornerstone of modern airport surveillance
Intersoft Electronics' ASR Modules (ASR-M?) stand at the forefront of radar technology. ASR-M? is a modular approach to airport surveillance radar, providing all necessary subsystems of an ASR to Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and radar manufacturers.?ASR-M? incorporates cutting-edge technology. Its modules can be used in Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs) and they can be integrated into brand new ASR designs.
At the core of the ASR-M? are its advanced signal processing capabilities, which enable superior detection and tracking of aircraft with exceptional accuracy and reliability. True 3D height detection and sub-clutter visibility are differentiating features of ASR-M?. Leveraging high-resolution radar technologies, ASR-M? provides enhanced coverage and precision, ensuring comprehensive airspace surveillance, even in challenging environments.
One of the key strengths lies in its modular integration capabilities. Designed to seamlessly integrate with existing air traffic management systems, ASR-M? facilitates a cohesive and coordinated approach to airspace surveillance. This integration enhances situational awareness and enables more effective decision-making for air traffic controllers.
In addition to its advanced capabilities in detection and tracking, ASR-M? modules are characterized by their reliability and redundancy. Incorporating redundant components and fault-tolerant technologies, ASR-M? ensures continuous operation and high availability, even in adverse conditions.
Scalability and adaptability are also key features of ASR-M?. Its modular design allows for easy upgrades and expansion, enabling it to adapt to evolving operational requirements and technological advancements. This flexibility ensures that systems remain at the forefront of airspace surveillance technology, capable of meeting the demands of future airspace environments.
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Compliance with regulatory standards is another important aspect. Developed to meet stringent international and national regulatory requirements, ASR-M? ensures safe and compliant operation in various airspace environments, providing peace of mind to airspace authorities and operators.
Overall, Intersoft Electronics' ASR-M? technologies represent a significant advancement in airspace surveillance and management. With its advanced capabilities, seamless integration, reliability, and scalability, ASR-M? sets a new standard for air traffic surveillance, enhancing safety, efficiency, and security in the skies.
NORA?: from concept to product
Non-Rotating Array (NORA?) radar antennas have transitioned from concept to tangible products now available, providing a revolutionary alternative to traditional rotating radar systems. These systems are now being deployed in real-world applications, revolutionizing air traffic surveillance and management. Their availability as market-ready products signifies a major leap forward, providing air traffic controllers with enhanced tools to ensure safer and more efficient airspace operations.
NORAs offer several advantages over traditional rotating antennas. NORA? provides continuous 360-degree coverage through advanced electronic scanning, eliminating the mechanical wear and tear associated with rotating systems. This design leads to lower maintenance, greater reliability, and extended system lifespan. With no moving parts, NORA? significantly reduces downtime and offers more consistent, long-term performance.
Additionally, NORA? offers higher update rates, delivering faster, more frequent data refreshes. This capability allows for quicker detection and response to fast-moving aircraft, providing air traffic controllers with enhanced situational awareness and the ability to make more informed, timely decisions.
NORA? also improves detection accuracy, using advanced electronic scanning technologies to control radar beams with greater precision. This ensures better resolution and performance, particularly in complex environments or when tracking small, non-cooperative targets such as drones or aircraft without functioning transponders.
Furthermore, NORA? systems are easier to install due to their fixed design, which allows them to be deployed on towers, rooftops, or even mobile platforms. The lack of rotating mechanisms makes installation more flexible, especially in space-constrained environments.
NORA? also integrates power electronics directly into the array, eliminating the need for separate transmitter racks and reducing the overall system footprint. This design enhances energy efficiency and lowers operational costs by reducing power consumption and simplifying maintenance requirements.
Key advantages of NORA?:
Now commercially available for both Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) and en-route radar applications, NORA? delivers precise, real-time tracking for aircraft in busy airport environments and across long distances.
NORAs are the ultimate modular ASR-M? subsystem. Its modular design allows for seamless integration into existing air traffic management systems, providing scalability and future-proofing as operational needs evolve. This flexibility makes NORA? an ideal solution for modernizing both current systems and building new radar infrastructure.
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