Scaling API-first – The story of a global engineering organization
ATC Radar Systems
1. MSA 606 AVIATION AND AEROSPACE COMMUNICATION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS
Presented by Yi-Fan (Tom) Chen
2. How ItWorks?
Development
ATC RadarTypes
Benefits and Disadvantages
An Accident Example
The future
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RAdio Detection And Ranging
Microwave
(1GHz to 110Ghz)
Higher frequency get
higher resolution, but
shorter range.
4. Band Frequency Wave Length Description
L 1–2 GHz 15–30 cm
long range air traffic control and surveillance; 'L'
for 'long'
S 2–4 GHz 7.5–15 cm
terminal air traffic control, long-range weather,
marine radar; 'S' for 'short'
X 8–12 GHz 2.5–3.75 cm
missile guidance, marine radar, weather, medium-
resolution mapping and ground surveillance; in the
USA the narrow range 10.525 GHz ±25 MHz is used
for airport radar. Named X band because the
frequency was a secret duringWW2.
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5. The first “practical” application of radio waves for
RADAR was invented by Christian Huelsmeyer in
1904, German for ship detection (Range = 3km)
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Huelsmeyer’sTelemobiloscope
6. “Freya” was the first radar produced in
quantity for the German Navy
Land-based aircraft detection radar
Operated at 120 to 130 MHz
Peak Power output of 15 to 20 kW
Max range of 100 nm
Over 1000 built throughout the war
Installed along Germany’s northern coast
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7. CHAIN HOME was a network of “floodlight”
radars positioned along the coast of England
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Developed from the military IFF
(identification, friend or foe) sinceWWII
Mode A — provides a 4-digit octal
identification code for the aircraft, known as
a squawk code, assigned by the air traffic
controller
Mode C — provides a 10-bit binary Gray
code for the aircraft's pressure altitude
Mode S — each aircraft can be assigned a
fixed, unique ICAO 24-bit, including position
and velocity
11. En Route Radar
Air Surveillance Radar
Weather Radar
ASDE
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En-route radar systems operates in L-Band usually.These radar sets initially
detect and determine the position, course, and speed of air targets in a
relatively large area up to 250 nm.
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Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) is an approach control radar used to detect
and display an aircraft's position in the terminal area.These radar sets operate
usually in S-Band, and are capable of reliably detecting and tracking aircraft at
altitudes below 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) and within 40 to 60 nautical miles
(75 to 110 km) of their airport.
Terminal Radar
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The Surface Movement Radar (SMR) scans the airport surface to locate the
positions of aircraft and ground vehicles and displays them for air traffic
controllers in bad weather. Surface movement radars operate in X- Band
and uses an extremely short pulse-width to provide an acceptable range-
resolution.
Airport Surface
Detection Equipment
Surface Movement
Radar
Ground Radar
16. Provide a controller a global picture about what
is going on in the air
Prevent midair collision and runway incursion by
usingTCAS and ASDE
Can be affected by the weather and terrain
Has limited range and can not cover all the
airspace
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17. Date 12 November 1996
Type Mid-air collision
Site
Charkhi Dadri,
Haryana, India
Total
fatalities
349
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Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision
Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, 747-100
Air Kazakhstan Flight 1907, IL-76
•Flight 1907 did not follow the ATC
instruction to maintain 15,000 ft
•Also not equippedTCAS
•ATC only have primary surveillance radar
•The same route for arrival and departure
