Thursday, February 19, 2015

US Airports to get MM Radar to screen runways for Vehicles and FOD

Cleared for take-off

Approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration for AIP

An important step for safety in international aviation: Developed by Rheinmetall foreign body detection system DEB-RA can now be procured by the US Federal Aviation Administration under the Airport Improvement Program. The FAA has recently published a special permit to procure currently
the world's most advanced system for detection of foreign bodies and debris on airport facilities (FOD = Foreign object debris) license.



The tragic loss of the Concorde on 25 July 2000 at Charles de Gaulle in Paris serves as a dramatic reminder of just how dangerous foreign objects on the runway can be. The crash cost the lives of 113 people. True, accidents on this scale are rare, but foreign objects on the runway regularly result in significant material damage.


Rheinmetall’s state-of-the-art DEB-RA employs millimetre wave radar in combination with high-resolution electro-optical sensors in order to detect dangerous foreign objects on the runway in real time. This reduces the risk posed by these objects – and with a very low error rate.

A further advantage: DEB-RA can be used as an airport control system for vehicles and aircraft on the ground (Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System / ASMGCS). In this capacity, it can either supplement or replace existing equipment, or serve as a standalone system – regardless of the composition of the runway or the sensor configuration. Here, too, disasters such as the collision in Milan-Linate on 8 October 2001, which left 118 persons dead, show how important it is to have reliable technology.

Ferri, M.; Giunta, G.; Banelli, A.; Neri, D., "Millimetre wave radar applications to airport surface movement control and foreign object detection," Radar Conference, 2009. EuRAD 2009. European , vol., no., pp.437,440, Sept. 30 2009-Oct. 2 2009
Abstract: In the recent years, increase in air traffic volume has demanded for new and more stringent safety requirements over the entire gate-to-gate air traffic control regions. In particular, for what concerns airport ground surveillance, congested traffic in parking areas (APRON) ask for new generation of radar sensors having very high resolution during low visibility to discriminate between vehicles and aircrafts, and very high sensitivity to detect small dangerous objects like for instance a baggage. After Concorde accident occurred in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, 25th July 2000, the capability to detect very small objects is became very important on the runway to improve as much as possible the safety during the taking off and landing operations. In addition, after the 11th of September 2001 tragic events, new airport security needs are driving the ground surveillance system requirements by demanding for new type of radar sensors able to be used against new emerging threats like perimeter intruders (i.e. persons, cars, boats,...) . An advanced millimetre wave radar for all three functions, airport surface movements control, foreign object detection (FOD) and perimeter intruders detection (PID), has been developed by Rheinmetall Italia SpA. This radar, named SMART, will be presented in this paper with particular emphasis to some technological aspects inside the antenna assembly and the transmitter unit.
keywords: {air traffic control;millimetre wave devices;object detection;search radar;SMART;air traffic control;airport ground surveillance;airport surface movement control;antenna;foreign object detection;millimetre wave radar;perimeter intruders detection;radar sensors;transmitter;Air safety;Air traffic control;Airborne radar;Airports;Object detection;Radar antennas;Radar applications;Radar detection;Surface waves;Surveillance},
URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=5307189&isnumber=5306978

Radar characteristics

A cost-effective radar system, named SMART, has been developed by Rheinmetall Italia (RHI) to simultaneously perform three basic functions: a) airport surface movements control, b) foreign object detection (FOD) and c) perimeter intruders detection (PID). This product based on more than 20 years in MMW band sensors experience, is already available on the market and it presents the following characteristics:
  1. –auto detection system without any target cooperation
  2. –available in double or single channel configuration (double channel recommended for 24 H/7D continuous operation)
  3. –can operate as stand-alone system or be easily integrated in already existing surveillance systems
  4. –available in multi-sensor network configuration (to improve airport coverage and reduce masked zones)
  5. –modular and capable to be expanded according to airport size and topography
  6. –Suitable for integration with optronics sensors system
  7. –if requested, it can be provided with a compact outdoor equipment (single channel) with reduced installation costs
The basic characteristics of the radar sensor are (as nominal values):
  1. –Tube transmitter with 1 kW peak power with frequency agility
  2. –20 ns pulse length
  3. –0.20 azimuth beamwidth
  4. –32 kHz PRF (synchronous in azimuth)
  5. –60 RPM, Antenna Rotation Speed
  6. –circular polarisation (LHCP)
  7. –range performances on 1 sqm RCS, Pd: 90 %, Pfa: 10–6:
    1. ■ 3000 m (clear weather condition)
    2. ■ 2500 m (heavy fog weather condition, 50 m as visibility)
    3. ■ 1500 m (heavy rain weather condition, 16 mm/h as rainfall rate)

Background

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