On January 10, EANA S.E. (Argentine Air Navigation Company), dependent on the National Ministry of Transport, and INVAP signed a contract to provide and install a new secondary radar in the province of Entre Ríos, which will allow the identification and selective tracking of aircrafts by using new technology to pinpoint their position accurately even in hard to reach areas.
The contract was signed by the President of EANA, Engineer Gabriel Giannotti, and INVAP’s Deputy General Manager, Engineer Marcelo Basigalup, in Buenos Aires.
The new radar, which is expected to be in operation by July, will be installed at Justo José de Urquiza Airport, in the city of Paraná. It will be of the secondary monopulse type and will incorporate the Mode S transponder and an associated Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system. This state-of-the-art technology is in line with the recommendations and standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL).
Unlike a primary radar, which processes the reflected echo of a signal emitted by the radar, a secondary radar identifies the flight number and altitude at which an aircraft is flying and responds collaboratively to a radar interrogation. Operating in S Mode, it provides the air traffic controllers with more information on the aircraft detected, and makes a more efficient and accurate use of the system. The ADS-B function allows the air traffic controller to better specify the position of aircrafts by means of the information periodically sent by their systems through their satellite navigation equipment, thus providing very precise and reliable observations. The use of both systems in partnership complies with the international standards that will come into force from 2020 on.
In addition to the acquisition of the new radar installed in Paraná, and as part of the framework agreement signed by both companies in November 2018, EANA commissioned INVAP to maintain the 22 Argentine Monopulse Secondary Radars (RSMA, in Spanish) that the Río Negro company has developed, built and installed all over the country.
