EADS,
EADS Defence & Security (DS) is to equip the military airfields in Germany with the most modern airfield control radar in the world and, by doing so, will make an important contribution to increasing flight safety.
Today, the company received a large order worth approximately 250 million euros from the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB). Accordingly, Defence Electronics (DE), an integrated Business Unit of EADS DS, is to deliver 22 radar systems of the type ASR-S and identification systems in line with the latest standards of air traffic control by 2015.
The systems will replace the 30-year-old radars which have been used until now in military air traffic control. They will be used for approach control at the airfield itself and for airspace surveillance within a large radius to safely coordinate, amongst other things, military flight movements with civil air traffic.
“Air traffic, especially in Europe, has become so dense,” explained Bernd Wenzler, CEO of Defence Electronics, “that air traffic control can no longer manage without the most modern radar and automatic identification systems. In this way, our products are making an important contribution to the safety of our citizens in everyday life.”
“With the ASR, we have the most powerful airport control radar in the world. It has provided proof of its qualities in an extensive test phase,” said Dr. Elmar Compans, Head of DE’s Sensors & Product Support Line of Business. “In particular, the sophisticated signal processing guarantees reliable and exact target tracking even under difficult environmental conditions.”
The ASR consists of a primary radar on the basis of a semiconductor transmitter and state-of-the-art signal processing technology for long-range surveillance of the surroundings of the military airfields and a secondary radar for automatic identification of individual aircraft. This secondary radar (MSSR) meets the latest air traffic control standard “Mode S”, which greatly improves aircraft identification queries and is due to be introduced in Central European airspace by 2009. Recording and tracking flight movements precisely, provides a complete picture of air traffic and helps to avoid traffic holdups or collisions.
The Defence Electronics unit has already made a name for itself by supplying identification systems in the military and civilian sector. For example, the secondary radar MSSR is deployed on vessels of the German Navy and by the naval forces of France, Norway and Finland for the military friend-or-foe identification. DE’s identification systems are used for air traffic control in such countries as Portugal, Bulgaria and the Philippines.
DE is an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security (DS). DS is a systems solutions provider for armed forces and civil security worldwide. Its portfolio ranges from sensors and secure networks through missiles to aircraft and UAVs as well as global security, service and support solutions. In 2007, DS – with around 22,000 employees – achieved revenues of EUR 5.5 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of EUR 39.1 billion and employs a workforce of about 116,000.
