The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) is to activate two new long-range radar systems by the end of the year to monitor the nation’s airspace, it said on Wednesday.
The systems — which are installed in Cape Santiago (三貂角) and Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), in the easternmost and southernmost points of Taiwan proper respectively — were installed to meet an increase in civil aviation flights over the past few years through the Taipei Flight Information Region, which is an important aviation hub for East Asia, the agency said.
The nation’s current long-range radar systems have been in service for more than 20 years, and while they are regularly maintained, it has become increasingly difficult to find replacement parts and to keep up with maintenance costs, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Civil Aeronautics Administration
In 2019, the CAA was allocated NT$676 million (US$24.1 million) to upgrade aviation radar systems. For the long-range radar upgrades, the agency installed a new primary surveillance radar system, while ensuring that the secondary surveillance radar system is equipped with Mode S functionality, which allows selective interrogation of aircraft according to a unique 24-bit address assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The CAA encountered many challenges dismantling the long-range radar system at Cape Santiago, which is on a mountaintop, it said.
The circuitous mountain route made it difficult for large construction vehicles to access the radar station, and construction crews could only transport three large radome panels from the station at a time, it added.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented additional issues, such as uncertainty over the timing in receiving components and technical specialists from overseas, the agency said.
As the new radar system is 32.3m tall, construction would need to stop during the northeast monsoon or a strong wind, it said.
The CAA is testing the long-range radar systems, which involves parameter adjustments, an on-site acceptance test and a 30-day confidence test.
The long-range radar systems are built using 101 panels, with each system weighing 5.2 tonnes, the CAA said, adding that the radomes’ bases are coated with special paint to prevent corrosion.
The agency’s Air Navigation and Weather Services have 11 radar systems across the nation, including nine terminal area radar systems and two long-range radar systems.
The primary radar system is capable of detecting flights within 200 nautical miles (370.4km), with a surveillance capacity of 1,000 flights.
The secondary radar system can detect flights within 250 nautical miles, with a surveillance capacity of 500 flights.
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