On November 27, ENAIRE, Spain’s national air navigation manager, commissioned a three-dimensional primary radar at Gran Canaria Airport. This equipment, manufactured by Indra, has a range of 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) and complements the mode S secondary radar already in operation at the airport, according to the company.
The new technology will enhance coverage during approaches, takeoffs, and landings, as well as provide greater reliability in air surveillance in the event of aircraft transponder failures.
This radar is part of a broader project that includes the installation of three additional three-dimensional primary radars in different locations, with a total investment of 20.9 million euros.
According to ENAIRE, the new system replaces the primary radar installed in 2011 and represents a technological leap from a 2D system to a 3D one. The technology, based on electronic beams, allows for more precise altitude detection of aircraft, even in areas affected by interference from wind turbines.
Technical contribution and reinforcement of air safety
According to ENAIRE, this three-dimensional primary radar strengthens the surveillance systems in Gran Canaria, which already include secondary radar and ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance). These combined systems are essential to detect aircraft lacking transponders or those with signal issues, increasing safety in the airspace.
«The radio frequency signal emitted by the primary radar bounces off aircraft flying within its line of sight, with the echo being received by the radar itself. The time taken for the echo of the originally transmitted signal to return allows the calculation or measurement of the distance to the aircraft for each radial point of the radar antenna (rotating continuously at 360º). In this way, the position of the detected aircraft can be determined in terms of distance and azimuth (2D), according to conventional primary radar technology, particularly in the context of civil air surveillance,» ENAIRE explained in a statement.
«The adaptation of military 3D primary radar technology to the civil environment additionally allows the determination of the altitude of aircraft detected by the primary radar through the application of various techniques. One of these involves the use of a radiation diagram consisting of several electronic beams, sequenced over time. These beams have a narrower focus than conventional diagrams and are pointed at different elevations. This allows fine-tuning of the system configuration to reduce clutter, or unwanted signals reflected by the terrain, as well as determining altitude based on the beam through which each echo is detected, with altitude filters applied to limit abnormal effects on the radiofrequency signal due to proximity to wind turbines,» the statement continued.
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«In the context of civil surveillance, the primary radar provides an additional layer of safety as it enhances the reliability of the surveillance function compared to operating solely with detections from the secondary radar, the primary source of surveillance information. It enables the detection and tracking of aircraft in cases where, due to absence or failure of the onboard transponder, the aircraft cannot respond to secondary radar interrogations or automatically transmit ADS-B information,» ENAIRE concluded.
This is the second radar of its kind that ENAIRE has incorporated into its network as part of its strategy to meet European technological modernization requirements for air traffic management.
ENAIRE manages air navigation services across Spanish airspace, including 21 airports in the Aena network. Its functions include ensuring air traffic surveillance and control during en-route, approach, and aerodrome phases. It also participates in international alliances such as SESAR and CANSO.
The incorporation of this radar addresses the need to strengthen safety and surveillance in a strategic region like the Canary Islands, which is characterized by a high volume of air traffic and its importance as a link between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
