THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has awarded Westinghouse a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its MR-3000 predictive-wind-shear radar.
Award of the certificate, which clears the way for installation aboard civil aircraft, follows extensive evaluations conducted by the FAA and Westinghouse over a two- year period.
The APN-241, the military version of the MR-3000, was fielded with a predictive-wind-shear capability in 1993. Westinghouse used military radar technology in developing the MR-3000.
The radar can detect wind-shears at ranges up to 15km (8nm), giving pilots as much as 90s warning to take evasive action. Both visual and aural cues are provided.
AlliedSignal Bendix and Rockwell Collins have already fielded predictive wind-shear detectors following a FAA decision in 1990 to accept predictive airborne-detection systems as alternatives to the existing reactive systems.
Source: Flight International