Indra, a global defence, aerospace and technology company, has completed the first milestone in one of the major air traffic programs it is working on, after closing with the German air navigation services provider, DFS, the design of the future radar network that will be used to control air traffic throughout the country. It is an ambitious project that contemplates the renewal of 23 surveillance systems distributed throughout the country, which will allow the management of more flights, in a more fluid and environmentally friendly way.
In total, Indra will equip 19 sites with primary and secondary Mode S radars, which will work in combination, and will install secondary support radars at another 4 locations. These systems incorporate more advanced digital technologies, such as more efficient gallium nitride (GaN) transmitters and fully digital signal processing, as well as nonlinear multisensor tracking algorithms that will provide a more precise image of air movements.
The head of the project at Indra, Miriam Hernández, explains that these systems are “capable of operating in environments with strong interference caused by rain, snow or steep terrain and of mitigating reflections caused by wind turbine plants and solar panels”.
The systems will also be ahead in the incorporation of the latest standards set by Eurocontrol (EMS 4.0 regulations) for Mode S radars, which are the most efficient and agile in identifying aircraft. They will also be integrated into the cluster controller developed by DFS, which avoids unnecessary electromagnetic emissions.
To supervise the proper functioning of the entire network, Indra will deploy its control and monitoring system in the cloud, which will make use of big data and artificial intelligence to facilitate predictive maintenance of the radars.
Miriam Hernández, states that “this will undoubtedly be the most advanced air traffic surveillance network in Europe and a worldwide reference project. With it, DFS will take safety and efficiency standards to new levels of quality” and adds that “the degree of commitment and level of collaboration between the professionals of both companies is proving to be key to advance at a good pace in this program, which is leading Indra to evolve its systems and provide them with new and more advanced functionalities”.
The program that Indra is undertaking with DFS is in addition to a whole series of cutting-edge air traffic projects it is working on. The company is currently deploying its iTEC OneSky air traffic system in eight countries, totaling more than 27,000 square kilometers of sky. It is also modernizing the integrated Network Manager (iNM) with which Eurocontrol facilitates the coordination of flights throughout Europe. And it is the company with the greatest weight in the Sesar initiative, with which the European Digital Sky is being built. Its technology ensures the safety of more than 85% of the passengers who board an airplane in the world every day.
