Spanish air navigation service provider ENAIRE is looking to buy three radars to complete the upgrade of its surveillance network.
The secondary radars need to be equipped with digital receivers and Mode S technology so they can provide additional information on airborne aircraft and enable improvements to air traffic management (ATM).
The tender for a contract to procure the radars was approved by Enaire’s board last month.
The acquisition of the radars is part of Enaire’s "Actions for the Development of the Single European Sky" project and will be funded by €3.2 million of EU recovery grants.
The new radars will be installed at the radar stations of Erillas in Córdoba, Valencia and Málaga. They will complement the existing radar network and provide coverage of the entire Spanish airspace, serving the Enaire Air Traffic Control (ATC) Centres in Madrid, Seville and Barcelona.
The acquisition of the radars is a significant investment by Enaire in the safety and efficiency of ATM in Spain. The new radars will provide air traffic controllers with a more complete picture of the air traffic situation, which will allow them to make better decisions and ensure the safe and efficient flow of air traffic, said the air navigation service provider (ANSP).
In addition, this radar technology incorporates a redundant Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) station, which allows the position of aircraft to be obtained based on the information they broadcast through their on-board sensors. This ensures that surveillance information remains available even if the radar stations experience mechanical faults.
The new radar stations will also help bring Enaire in line with European requirements to phase in new technologies that improve air traffic management in Europe.
Communications contracts
In addition, Enaire has recently awarded three deals worth a total of €5.7 million euros.
These included a €2 million, three-year deal to the joint venture of COMSA-OASYS Outsourcing Automation Systems for the continued deployment of its Integrated Communications and Supervision Systems (ORION) at air navigation sites such as communications centres, airports and ATC centres.
The ANSP also allocated a €2 million, three-year deal for maintenance and support of its Centralised Aeronautical Electronic Messaging System (CRAMI) to telecoms firm Telefónica.
Finally, Enaire awarded the Digital Workstation Management Service to the company Sermicro for €1.7 million.