Raytheon to upgrade US Navy’s 20-year-old analog air traffic control radars with modern, digital technology

The U.S. Navy has purchased two more radar systems from Raytheon Company RTN as part of a continuing effort to replace outdated analog air traffic control systems with digital technology. The new radars will be installed at military bases in New River, N.C., and Quantico, Va. The Digital Airport Surveillance Radar (DASR) ASR-11 is the first fully digital, solid-state radar to be implemented in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). The radars have been deployed to more than 130 sites throughout the world, and will eventually be in more than 150 sites total. The ASR-11 provides primary surveillance radar coverage up to 60 miles and secondary surveillance radar coverage up to 120 miles. It provides the air traffic controller with improved aircraft detection, lower support costs and better weather display. The primary radar is being manufactured in Waterloo, Canada, while the secondary radar will be made in the United States and United Kingdom. “This radar technology is raising the bar even higher on safety,” said Mike Prout, vice president of Security and Transportation Systems for Raytheon’s Network Centric Systems business. “Our radars will help controllers maintain safety in an increasingly busy airspace.” Analog radars are steadily being replaced as part of the NAS Modernization Program, which involves upgrading legacy air traffic control systems with modern digital technology to enable the Navy to keep pace with changing Federal Aviation Administration guidelines and standards for terminal radar approach controls. The digital radar is also an integral part of Raytheon’s recently introduced Mobile Air Traffic Control system, which provides critical air traffic services when existing infrastructure has been damaged or does not exist.

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