Modernization of En Route Air Surveillance Radar

The design of a service life extension program that is being applied to the modernization of continental U.S. en route air surveillance radar known as long range radar (LRR) network is presented. The LRR network consists of 69 L-band radars that are used for the joint purposes of air traffic control and surveillance. Initially the architecture of the radar system is presented and key components selected for upgrade are identified. In addition to hardware upgrades innovative signal processing algorithms have also been added. The upgraded radar consists of a solid state transmitter, a digital receiver, and a signal data processor. With advanced signal processing algorithms, the upgraded radar system provides 200 nmi coverage in natural interference environments while minimizing the false alarms. The radar has also been upgraded to enhance weather detection performance.