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Surveillance upgrade underway at Newcastle Airport

Newcastle International Airport has revealed that work to modernise its surveillance capabilities is now underway.

Beginning with the installation of the Thales STAR 2000 Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR), located at the north end of the terminal roof, the airport has committed to a programme to fully replace its Primary Radar Surveillance System.

Richard Knight, Operations Director at Newcastle International Airport, said: “We are delighted to announce the installation of a new surveillance radar system which sees Newcastle International at the forefront of aviation technology to support the long term future of the airport.

“This new system allows us to implement the latest mitigation strategy for areas of wind farm clutter.”

Technology

The Thales STAR 2000 is a primary surveillance radar system offering reliability with an enhanced performance over the current surveillance system currently in use by the airport.

A wind farm mitigation element of the surveillance suite is also being installed by NATS with a Terma SCANTER 4002 primary surveillance radar located at the south end of the terminal roof. The SCANTER radar operates in a frequency band higher than the STAR 2000 enabling better discrimination of aircraft, resulting in a superior detection capability.

Together, the Thales STAR 2000, TERMA SCANTER 4002 along with a new Thales Radar Processing and Display system gives Newcastle Airport a modern and technologically advanced surveillance capability that will serve the airport well into the future.

Kevin Tolcher, General Manager, Thales ATM activities, UK highlighted the following by saying: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Newcastle International to replace its Primary Radar Surveillance System.

`‘We are continually improving our solutions to meet customers’ needs, recognising wind farm mitigation as a priority for our surveillance customers.“

Alongside the installation of the new radars the airport is reportedly working on a revised wind farm mitigation policy, which is expected later in the year and may unlock additional wind farm sites across the north east.

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