faa radar requirements

Presented to: MPAR Working Group

By: William Benner, Weather Processors Team Manager (AJP-1820), FAA Technical Center

Date: 19 March 2007

Federal AviationAdministrationFAA Radar

RequirementsResponse to ACTION ITEM 2006-1.4

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 2Federal AviationAdministrationFebruary 2007

FAA Radar Requirements• Action Item

– Directed PAR-WG members to update current agency radar requirements (Chapter 2 of FCM-R25-2006)

• Assertion – Goal is to identify capability gaps from identified mission or

operational requirements – Gaps should be identified for future requirements (i.e., 2015

and 2025) and not current requirements– Need to identify solution to fill gap

• Issue – FAA requirements for future radar (e.g., 2025) have not yet

been developed– Taking a bottom-up approach could result in an over specified,

costly solution


NextGen Operational Requirements Sources (Wx and Surveillance)• NextGen Concept of Operations (CONOPS)

– Current Version: Draft 5, Version 1.2, February 28, 2007

• NextGen Weather Concept of Operations (CONOPS)– Current Version: Ver. 1.0, May 13, 2006

• NextGen Surveillance CONOPS does not currently exist– Need to identify source for surveillance requirements


NextGen Operational Concept Weather• Primary role of weather information:

– “Identification of optimal trajectories that meet the safety, comfort, schedule, efficiency and environmental impact requirements of the user and the system.” (NGATS CONOPS, Ver. 1.2)

– “Identification of when and where aircraft can and cannot fly.” (NGATS Wx CONOPS, Ver. 1.0)

– Weather information must be designed to integrate with and support decision-oriented automation capabilities and human decision making processes


NextGen Related Goals and Objectives• “Weather Assimilated into Decision Making”

is one of eight key capabilities needed to achieve NextGen goals which focus on safety, security, and capacity of air transportation operations.

• Minimize the impact of weather and other disruptions is one of the objectives to meeting the NextGen goal for “Expanding Capacity”


Enterprise Weather Services• Enterprise Weather Service 1: Multiple

Weather Observations and Forecasts are fused into a 4D Common Weather Picture distributed through NNEW


NextGen Capabilities for Weather • Common Themes for Weather Requirements

– 4D Weather Observation and Forecast (horizontal, vertical, altitude, time and probability components)

– Probabilistic forecast – location, timing, intensity and probability of all possible outcomes

– Virtual common weather picture – Update frequency driven by need to react to unanticipated,

rapidly changing circumstances– Pre-flight and in-flight decisions are aided by weather services

that assist the user in making tailored inquiries into the common weather picture.

– NNEW provides traffic flow decision oriented tools with trajectory-based weather information (observations, forecasts, model data) that is aligned with flight planning and ATM.

– NNEW allows decision oriented tools to identify weather-impacted airspace as reduced-capacity and as no-fly airspace.


NextGen Operational Concept Surveillance• Primary role of surveillance information:

– Surveillance Information Services derived from integrated cooperative and non-cooperative surveillance systems permit creation of real-time situational awareness (the capability to detect, identify, and monitor air vehicles) on the surface of an airport and airborne.

– Surveillance Information Services envisioned within the NextGen will improve speed, efficiency, quality, and timeliness of decisions.

– FAA’s need based on ADS-B back-up strategy decision


NextGen Operational Concept Weather• Surveillance Information Service Supports:

– Reduced separation standards– Comprehensive tracking of aircraft/vehicles on

airport surface and within the ANSP airspace.– Improved 4DT information– Adaptive flexible spacing and sequencing of aircraft

on the ground and in the air• To achieve the high level of requirements

for surveillance, it is envisioned that both a primary and backup system for surveillance will be required in some airspaces.


Core Surveillance Services• Cooperative

– Aircraft equipped avionics (i.e., ADS-B)• Non-Cooperative Surveillance Services

– Allows airborne object to be detected by ground-based, airborne, or space-based surveillance systems.

– Non-cooperative surveillance can be used when airborne or ground cooperative surveillance systems malfunction

• Surveillance Services must be able to detect, monitor, track and identify all airborne objects – anything that could present a safety risk to the community of airspace users or could be a risk to national security.


Capabilities of Future NextGen Surveillance Sensors• Common Themes for Surveillance Requirements

– Provide unique reference identify for each flight object– Provide 4D position, velocity, and directional information and

identification of all airborne objects of relevance– A shared consistent surveillance view is essential to support

multiple agency missions– ANSPs use surveillance information to provide separation

assurance, navigational services, traffic management and support emergency operations

– Defense and Security service providers use surveillance information to monitor, detect, and track suspect aircraft believed to be engaged in illegal or potentially hazardous activities and to identify, assess and engage, if necessary, threats to our homeland.


Recommendations

• Generate Concept of Operations for Radar – Aligned with NextGen CONOPS documents

(Weather, Surveillance)– Requires all agency input

• Generate Operational Requirements related to Radar

• Execute Mission Gap Analysis

faa radar requirements

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