Raytheon ASR-11 and STARS Ungoing Final Tests

Two new Raytheon air traffic management products are undergoing final tests for Pentagon use. The U.S. Air Force is conducting live operations with the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) and the ASR-11 Digital Airport Surveillance Radar (DASR) at Eglin AFB, Florida, heralding the start of Multi-Service Operational Test & Evaluation (MOT&E) of the new systems.
Military air traffic controllers are using the new systems to control traffic at Eglin, which is home to the Fort Walton Beach commercial airport and is neighbor to the USAF special operations support unit at Hurlburt Field, as well as hosting test aircraft and an operation F-15 wing.

The start of MOT&E is an important step towards the fielding of a common civil and military traffic control system. The ASR-11 represents a step forward in performance and reliability over earlier systems, Raytheon says, while the STARS installation-the first operational use of full STARS capability-introduces an open-architecture traffic automation system with high-resolution displays, which can show weather and combine inputs from multiple radars. The Pentagon and FAA plan to procure 213 ASR-11s and 331 STARS as part of their plan to replace obsolete ATM hardware in the U.S.

By Bill Sweetman