Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) will supply two Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radars (MSSR) 2000 I as part of a programme to improve the Indonesian Air Force’s aircraft identification and air surveillance capabilities. The company was awarded a contract for the radars by SBL Star Technology, announced on 18 August.

The radars will equip mobile air surveillance and tracking systems to be operated by the Indonesian Air Force, helping to improve air traffic control and air defence capabilities over the country’s more than 15,000 islands.

Secondary radars such as MSSR 2000 I complement primary radars in identifying individual aircraft and establishing a comprehensive recognised air picture. Typically, primary radar is able to measure the position of an aircraft at a point of time from reflections of the radar beam without giving a clear identification of the aircraft.

The secondary radar exchanges messages with all the aircraft in its area collecting detailed information such as flight number and destination. MSSR 2000 I sends out interrogation signals according to the latest Mode S standard and collects the responses. In this way, the secondary radar in close cooperation with the primary radar provides a real-time overview of aircraft positions and additional aircraft data which results in a significant improvement in air surveillance and air traffic control.

In the military field, MSSR 2000 I is also used for automatic friend-or-foe identification (IFF) to avoid the engagement of friendly forces.

Thomas Müller, head of electronics business, Airbus D&S, said: ‘Air traffic control authorities all over the world are facing continually increasing air traffic density. Together with military air traffic, this situation requires a high-performance guidance system ensuring safety, comprehensive data exchange and efficient allocation of airspace. With our system in operation in around 30 countries we have proven our capability to provide a reliable solution.’

The system is scheduled for delivery before the beginning of 2015.