Thales partners with IDAC for radar installation

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) has chosen Thales to install two new air traffic control radars, comprising a STAR NG primary surveillance radar coupled with an RSM NG secondary surveillance radar.

This radar installation is set to significantly bolster IDAC’s air traffic control capabilities and enhance airspace coverage in the northern region of the country.

“We are delighted to further our partnership with IDAC and contribute to safeguarding Dominican airspace. Leveraging the existing installed base and the new radars’ commonalities, including training, shared components, and maintenance, will help optimize the equipment’s life cycle,” remarked Lionel De Castellane, Vice President of Thales’ radar segment.

The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation and the country’s air navigation services provider have awarded Thales a contract for a fifth air traffic control radar, comprising a STAR NG (primary surveillance radar) and an RSM NG (secondary surveillance radar) jointly installed for deployment at Cibao International Airport.

With four operational sites already in place across the Dominican Republic, this new contract underscores the enduring collaboration with IDAC and the sustained confidence in Thales; the first Thales radar was delivered over 30 years ago.

The co-installed air traffic radar system – STAR NG (primary surveillance radar) and the latest RSM NG (secondary surveillance radar) – epitomize technical excellence and offer unparalleled detection performance, reliability, and cybersecurity to meet IDAC’s surveillance requirements and ensure passenger safety.

Thales’ latest secondary radar, the RSM NG, serves as a unique metasensor, ensuring data quality, integrity, and availability for air traffic controllers, thereby contributing to maintaining a 3 NM aircraft separation standard. The RSM NG integrates ADS-B and radar (Mode S) data for swift tracking initialization and delivers superior information reliability. Capable of tracking up to 2,000 flight trajectories and simultaneously sharing 64 data outputs with various air traffic centers, the radar significantly enhances operational efficiency.

Lionel De Castellane, Vice President of Thales’ Civil Segment radars, underscored, “IDAC will benefit from the similarities between the current installed base and the new radars, particularly in terms of training, shared components, and maintenance, which will aid in optimizing the equipment’s life cycle.”