US air traffic control systems manufacturer Sensis has won a $100 million Federal Aviation Administration contract to develop a lower-cost alternative to the Northrop Grumman Airport Surface Detection Equipment 3 (ASDE-3) ground mapping radar system, installed at 34 major US airports.
The FAA has picked Sensis (teamed with Raytheon) over bidders Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to develop ASDE-X, which will be installed at 25 US airports without ASDE-3/AMASS radars, including Connecticut's Bradley International.
The core ASDE-X system consists of a Raytheon high resolution ground surveillance primary X-band radar, a multi-lateration sensor capable of receiving Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), a multiprocessor and multiple displays. The processor integrates data from the radar and multi-lateration device to provide controllers with target identification. Multi-lateration sensors work with Mode S transponder-equipped aircraft and ground vehicles. Immune to multipath false target problems and heavy rain, they can integrate various inputs for optimal aircraft position estimates.
An open architecture design allows for future enhancements, such as cockpit datalink via Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B). ADS-B and TIS-B are key elements to the FAA's Capstone safety initiative in Alaska and the National Airspace System modernisation programme based on using GPS for air traffic control.
The Sensis/Raytheon contract includes delivery of one ASDE-X prototype for testing at Orlando International next year. If successful the first operational unit is due in service in 2003. A contract worth $90 million to purchase 29 ASDE-X systems is set to follow testing.
Growing concern over runway incursions originally prompted the FAA to improve ASDE-3, which belatedly goes online in June, with the Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS). Technical problems have delayed full fielding of AMASS until September 2002.
Source: Flight International
