MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Station Logistics, Operations, Facilities and Japanese contractors have been working together at the northside digital airport surveillance radar site here for the past four months to construct and position a newly acquired Airport Surveillance Radar 11 Digital Airport Surveillance Radar.
The final pieces of the ASR-11 DASR, which is replacing the 20-year-old analog model aboard the station, are scheduled to finish arriving by the end of the month, and the radar is slated to be fully operational by spring of 2010.
“It’s the next upgrade to the existing radar, so all the improved processing — all the improvements that could be made on the last radar are incorporated into this one,” said Dan Hill, a Space and Naval Warfare System Center Atlantic project engineer. “The reliability is somewhat better. All the computer technology over the past 20 years is incorporated into this new radar.”
The new ASR-11 DASR is outfitted with a primary surveillance coverage reaching out to 60 nautical miles and a secondary coverage up to 120 nautical miles.
Another feature allows for aircraft detection in clutter and National Weather Service calibrated weather capability, which allows for improved situational awareness for air traffic controllers and pilots.
The ASR-11 DASR can also be controlled from multiple locations and has unattended operation capabilities using redundant subsystems with built-in test equipment.
Hill said the radar is a significant leap in technology and will greatly benefit the station.