I.

INTRODUCTION

Surveillance radars are divided into two general categories: Airport

Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Air Route Surveillance Radar (ARSR).

ASR is designed to provide relatively short−range coverage in the general

vicinity of an airport and to serve as an expeditious means of handling terminal
area traffic through observation of precise aircraft locations on a radarscope. Air
Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) radar used primarily to detect and display
an aircraft's position while en route between terminal areas. The ARSR enables
controllers to provide radar air traffic control service when aircraft are within the
ARSR coverage. In some instances, ARSR may enable an ARTCC to provide
terminal radar services similar to but usually more limited than those provided
by a radar approach control.

The ASR can also be used as an instrument approach aid. ARSR is a

long−range radar system designed primarily to provide a display of aircraft
locations over large areas. It is an approach control radar used to detect and
display an aircraft's position in the terminal area. ASR provides range and
azimuth information but does not provide elevation data. Coverage of the ASR
can extend up to 60 miles.

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II. Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR)

An airport surveillance radar (ASR) is a radar system used at airports to

detect and display the presence and position of aircraft in the terminal area, the
airspace around airports. It is the main air traffic control system for the airspace
around airports.

Figure 1. An Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR)

At large airports it typically controls traffic within a radius of 60 miles (96 km)
of the airport below an elevation of 25,000 feet. The sophisticated systems at large
airports consist of two different radar systems, the primary and secondary
surveillance radar. The primary radar typically consists of a large rotating
parabolic antenna dish that sweeps a vertical fan-shaped beam of microwaves
around the airspace surrounding the airport. It detects the position and range of
aircraft by microwaves reflected back to the antenna from the aircraft's surface.
In the US the primary radar operates at a frequency of 2.7 - 2.9 GHz in the S
band with a peak radiated power of 25 kW and an average power of 2.1 kW. The
secondary surveillance radar consists of a second rotating antenna, often
mounted on the primary antenna, which interrogates the transponders of
aircraft, which transmits a radio signal back containing the aircraft's

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identification, barometric altitude, and an emergency status code, which is
displayed on the radar screen next to the return from the primary radar. It
operates at a frequency of 1.03 - 1.09 GHz in the L band with peak power of 160
- 1500 W.

The positions of the aircraft are displayed on a screen; at large airports on

multiple screens in an operations room at the airport called in the US the
Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), monitored by air traffic controllers
who direct the traffic by communicating with the aircraft pilots by radio. They are
responsible for maintaining a safe and orderly flow of traffic and adequate aircraft
separation to prevent midair collisions.Due to its crucial safety mission, extreme
uptime requirements, and need to be compatible with all the different types of
aircraft and avionics systems, the design of airport surveillance radar is strictly
controlled by government agencies. In the US the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) is responsible for developing airport surveillance radar. All ASRs have the
common requirements of detecting aircraft out to a range of 60 miles and an
elevation of 25,000 feet. Upgrades are released in "generations" after careful
testing.

TYPES OF ASR:

1. ASR-7 and ASR-8

These are older technology systems which will eventually be
replaced. The final ASR-7 is at Sawyer International Airport (formerly K. I.
Sawyer Air Force Base). It will be replaced in 2018 with an ASR-8. There
are approximately a dozen ASR-8s left in the USA with no scheduled
replacement until at least 2025.
2. ASR-9
The current generation of radar is the ASR-9, which was developed
by Northrop/Grumman and first installed in 1989, with installation
completing in 1995. Currently it is operating at 135 locations and is
scheduled to continue in use until at least 2025. The ASR-9 was the first
airport surveillance radar to detect weather and aircraft with the same
beam and display them on the same screen. It has a digital Moving Target

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Detection (MTD) processor which uses doppler radar and a clutter map
giving advanced ability to eliminate ground and weather clutter and track
targets. It is theoretically capable of tracking a maximum of 700 aircraft
simultaneously.

Figure 2. An ASR-9 airport surveillance radar antenna. The curving

lower reflector is the primary radar, while the flat antenna on top is the
secondary radar.

The klystron tube transmitter operates in the S-band between 2.5-

2.9 GHz in circular polarization with a peak power of 1.3 MW and a pulse
duration of 1 μs and pulse repetition frequency between 325 to 1200 pps.
It can be switched to a second reserve frequency if interference is
encountered on the primary frequency. The receiver has the sensitivity to
detect a radar cross-section of 1 meter2 at 111 km, and a range resolution
of 450 feet. The antenna covers an elevation of 40° from the horizon with
two feedhorns which create two stacked overlapping vertical lobes 4° apart;
the lower beam transmits the outgoing pulse and is used to detect distant
targets near the horizon, while the upper receive-only beam detects closer
higher elevation aircraft with less ground clutter. The antenna has a gain
of 34 dB, beamwidth of 5° in elevation and 1.4° in azimuth. It rotates at a
rate of 12.5 RPM so the airspace is scanned every 4.8 seconds.

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 The electronics is dual-channel and fault tolerant. It has a remote
monitoring and maintenance subsystem; if a fault occurs a built-in test
detects and isolates the problem. Like all airport surveillance radars it has
a backup diesel generator to continue operating during power outages.

3. ASR-11 or Digital Airport Surveillance Radar (DASR)

Figure 3. Abilene ASR-11 radar antenna

The Digital Airport Surveillance Radar (DASR) is the new generation

of fully digital radar that is being developed to replace the current analog
systems. The US Air Force Electronics Systems Center, the US Federal
Aviation Administration, US Army and the US Navy procured DASR
systems to upgrade existing radar facilities for US Department of Defense
(DoD) and civilian airfields. The DASR system detects aircraft position and
weather conditions in the vicinity of civilian and military airfields. The
civilian nomenclature for this radar is ASR-11. The ASR-11 will replace
most ASR-7 and some ASR-8. The military nomenclature for the radar is
AN/GPN-30. The older radars, some up to 20 years old, are being replaced
to improve reliability, provide additional weather data, reduce
maintenance cost, improve performance, and provide digital data to new
digital automation systems for presentation on air traffic control displays.
The Iraqi Air Force has received the DASR system.

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 The primary surveillance radar uses a continually rotating antenna
mounted on a tower to transmit electromagnetic waves that reflect, or
backscatter, from the surface of aircraft up to 60 miles from the radar. The
radar system measures the time required for radar to echo to return and
the direction of the signal. From this, the system can then measure the
distance of the aircraft from the radar antenna and the azimuth, or
direction, of the aircraft in relation to the antenna. The primary radar also
provides data on six levels of rainfall intensity and operates in the range
of 2700 to 2900 MHz. The transmitter generates a peak effective power of
25 kW and an average power of 2.1 kW. The average power density of the
ASR-11 signal decreases with distance from the antenna. At distances of
more than 43 feet from the antenna, the power density of the ASR-11
signal falls below the maximum permissible exposure levels established by
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The secondary radar uses a second radar antenna attached to the

top of the primary radar antenna to transmit and receive area aircraft data
for barometric altitude, identification code, and emergency conditions.
Military, commercial and some general aviation aircraft have transponders
that automatically respond to a signal from the secondary radar by
reporting an identification code and altitude. The air traffic control uses
this system to verify the location of aircraft within a 60-mile radius of the
radar site. The beacon radar also provides rapid identification of aircraft
in distress. The secondary radar operates in the range of 1030 to 1090
MHz. Transmitting power ranges from 160 to 1500 watts.

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Displays:

Figure 4. ARTS-III ASR DISPLAY

ASR data is displayed on Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS),

Common Automated Radar Terminal System (CARTS), and Standard Terminal
Automation Replacement System (STARS) display consoles in control towers and
Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) rooms, usually located at airports.
CARTS will be replaced with STARS at all TRACONs during TAMR Phase 3 -
Segment 1 as announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the
Spring of 2011. All remaining ARTS (IIE) sites will be replaced with STARS during
TAMR Phase 3 Segment 2 as announced by the FAA in the Spring of 2013.

The Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) is a joint

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DoD) program
to replace Automated Radar Terminal Systems (ARTS) and other capacity-
constrained, older technology systems at 172 FAA and up to 199 DoD terminal
radar approach control facilities and associated towers.

STARS will be used by controllers, at facilities who already have it

installed, to provide air traffic control (ATC) services to aircraft in terminal areas.
Typical terminal area ATC services are defined as the area around airports where
departing and arriving traffic are served. Functions include aircraft separation,
weather advisories, and lower level control of air traffic. The system is designed
to accommodate air traffic growth and the introduction of new automation

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functions which will improve the safety and efficiency of the US National Airspace
System (NAS) as the legacy systems are replaced.

Airport Surveillance Radar is beginning to be supplemented by ADS-B

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast in the US and other parts of the
world. As of Spring 2011, ADS-B is currently operational and in use at the
Philadelphia, PA TRACON and Louisville, KY TRACON. ADS-B is a GPS based
technology that allows aircraft to transmit their GPS determined position to
display systems as often as once per second, as opposed to once every 4 seconds
for a short range radar, or once every 13 seconds for a slower rotating long range
radar. The FAA is mandating that ADS-B be fully operational and available to the
NAS by the year 2020. This will make possible the decommissioning of older
radars in order to increase safety and cut costs. As of 2011, there is no definitive
list of radars that will be decommissioned as a result of ADS-B implementation.

III. Air Route Surveillance Radar (ARSR)

Figure 5. Air Route Surveillance Radar

The Air Route Surveillance Radar is used by the United States Air Force
and the Federal Aviation Administration to control airspace within and
around the borders of the United States.

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 The ARSR-4 is the FAA's most recent (late 1980s, early 1990s) addition to
the "Long Range" series of radars, a solid state Westinghouse system with a
250-nautical-mile (460 km; 290 mi) range. In addition, the ARSR-4 features
a "look down" capability that enables the radar to detect aircraft attempting
to elude detection by flying at low altitudes, advanced clutter reduction via
hardware and software post-processing, and enhanced poor-weather
detection of aircraft. A Beacon system, the ATCBI-6M (a monopulse system),
is installed along with each ARSR-4. However, since the ARSR-4 is a 3D radar,
it is capable of determining aircraft altitude independently of its associated
Beacon (albeit less accurately).

ARSR-4 systems are installed along the borders and coastal areas of the
CONUS, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, the municipality of Yigo on
Guam, and a training site at the FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in
Oklahoma City. They are generally unmanned, being equipped with remote
monitoring of both the radar data and the status of the radar's health and
environment.

HISTORY:

The Raytheon-built ARSR-1 was introduced in 1958 had maximum range

of 170 nautical miles; 320 kilometres (200 mi). The ARSR-2 was developed in
the 1960s as a replacement for the ARSR-1, also operating in the L-band with
a 200-mile range. From a users perspective the ARSR-1 and ARSR-2 function
nearly identically. Components which had proved troublesome in the ARSR-1
were redesigned in order to improve the reliability of the ARSR-2. Existing
ARSR-1 systems were then retrofitted with the more reliable ARSR-2
components. All ARSR-1/2 systems have been replaced With modern
Common ARSR systems. Electron tubes like the one Vice President Gore used
in a televised interview to symbolize the need for FAA modernization[1] were
still in use nationwide prior to the Common ARSR upgrade.

All ARSR-1/2s were replaced by the Common ARSR by the end of 2015.
Common ARSR is abbreviated as CARSR. The CARSR has a 200-nautical-mile

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 (370 km; 230 mi) range, and shares transmitter components and software
with the FAA's newest airport surveillance radar the ASR-11. Like the ASR-
11, the CARSR is a completely solid state RADAR.

The Westinghouse-built ARSR-3 and 3D search radar was used by the FAA
in the Joint Surveillance System (JSS). The radar operated in the L-band at
1250 to 1350 MHz and detected targets at a distance beyond 210 nautical
miles; 390 kilometres (240 mi). The D model had height-finder capability.

The Westinghouse-(now Northrop-Grumman)-ARSR-4 built 3-D air

surveillance radar in the 1990s for the JSS. By the late 1990s, this radar had
replaced most of the 1960s-vintage AN/FPS-20 variant search radars and a
number of ARSR-3 search radars under a project termed the "FAA/Air Force
Radar Replacement" (FARR) program.

ARSR-4 Air Route Surveillance Radar:

The Joint Surveillance System is a network of long range surveillance

radars, primarily operated and maintained by the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), but providing communication and radar data to both
FAA and USAF control centers. The newest long-range search radar in the
Joint Surveillance System (JSS) that has recently been fielded is the Air Route
Surveillance Radar Model 4 (ARSR-4). Providing air defense and air traffic
control for the continental United States, Guam, and Hawaii, forty joint radar
sites were installed during the 1992-1995 period. The ARSR-4 was fielded
through a $1 billion Congressionally mandated joint FAA and Air Force
program, and each station costs over $12 million.

The FAA also operates several versions of Air Route Surveillance Radars
(ARSRs) for air traffic control in the adjacent 1215-1350 MHz band. These
radars include the ARSR-1, ARSR-2, and ARSR-3. The ARSR-4 Long Range
Radar (LRR) Replacement program is designed to replace obsolete FAA air
route surveillance radars (ARSR-1/2) and Air Force long range radars (FPS-
20/60 series) at 39 operational joint-use facilities with new ARSR-4 systems,
establish a new ARSR-4 "FAA only" site at Caribou, Maine, provide 1 ARSR-4

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system to the FAA's training and support facility in Oklahoma City, OK, and
deliver 3 additional systems to the Department of Defense. Forty-three of the
44 total systems have been installed and accepted from the contractor,
Northrop Grumman Corporation, as part of the FAA/Air Force Radar
Replacement (FARR) program.

Compared to the radars it replaced, the ARSR-4 is more reliable, easier to

maintain, and increases the radar coverage area from 200 to 250 nautical
miles. This three-dimensional, solid state, unattended, long rang surveillance
radar has an operational frequency range of 1215-1400 MHz and uses dual-
channel frequency hopping technology for long-range and anti-jam search
and tracking, and is capable of detecting small objects by minimizing clutter,
weather, and multipath effects. Each channel pair requires 83 MHz of
frequency separation to maintain its highest possible reliability. This radar
system supports defense of the national airspace and provides initial coastal
civil air traffic control.

The FAA and Air Force are also concerned that continuing to reallocate
spectrum used by the ARSR-4 will further impact the dual-frequency hopping
capability that is key to its design. The Air Force states that the need to have
frequency-hopping, anti-jam capabilities and the use of Air Traffic Control and
other radars will make retuning and/or restricted use difficult in some areas.
The Air Force maintains that the reallocation of the 1385-1390 MHz band
segment will degrade the radar’s frequency hopping capability that is key to
its design for antijamming defense. The FAA and Air Force state that
reallocation at a minimum could require software modifications estimated to
cost $35 million. Spectrum congestion already exists in this band and if the
remaining available frequencies cannot support future dual-frequency
requirements, hardware modifications estimated at $588 million and taking
5 years to complete will be required.

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 Figure 6. ARSR-4 Site Locations.

IV. Difference Between ASR and ARSR

The Air Traffic Control at the Airports while taking off and landing as well as
during the air routes have become challenge due to increase in the air traffic. To
provide safety to the air passengers aircraft and ground vehicular traffic at larger
airports are monitored by the high resolution radars. ASR radar will take care of
air traffic control in and around airport. ARSR radar will take of air traffic control
during the air routes. Refer Air traffic Management processes.

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Following table mentions difference between Air Traffic Control Radars such as
ARSR radar and ASR radar.

ATC Radar
ARSR radar ASR radar
specifications

L Band S Band
Frequency of operation
(1250 to 1350 MHz) (2700 to 2900 MHz)

Coverage Range 370 Km 111 Km

Peak Power 5 MWatt 1.4 MWatt

Pulse width 2 1.6

PRF(Pulse Repetition 700 to 1200 Hz, 1040

310 to 365 Hz
Frequency) (Average)

Average power 3.6 KWatt 0.875 KWatt

Noise Figure 4dB 4dB

Antenna Size 12.8 m X 6.9 m 4.9 m X 2.7 m

Horizontal Beamwidth 1.25 Degree 1.35 Degree

Vertical Coverage 40 degree 30 degree

Antenna Gain 34 dB 30 dB

Horizontal, vertical,
Polarization vertical, Circular
circular

Antenna rotation rate 5 RPM 12.8 RPM

MTI improvement parts 39 dB 34 dB

Blind Speed 1200Knots 800Knots

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