Honeywell aims to develop a system within three years that will be able to detect clear air turbulence (CAT), for which there are no predictive warning systems available.
The company plans to certificate a combined microwave and infrared radar to detect all types of turbulence, including CAT. It has signed an agreement with Coherent Technologies (CTI) to develop and market the hybrid system. It will combine an enhanced version of Honeywell's (formerly AlliedSignal's) RDR-4B weather radar with CTI's laser radar, which will be able to detect CAT.
Radar-business development director Gordon Carter says Honeywell will enhance the RDR-4B's turbulence-detection capability, using predictive windshear processing, up to 2,300ft (700m). The infrared radar will then be integrated, with the sensor in the radome's upper quadrant and processing performed in the RDR-4B's signal processor.
The sensor will be fixed in azimuth, looking forward along the centreline, and will scan vertically to 4,000ft above and below it. The intensity of turbulence will appear on a display.
The goal is a nominal 1min advance warning of severe turbulence, "and a minimum 25s warning 95% of the time".
Source: Flight International
