Barco selected by EADS Defence & Security for major radar system upgrade of the German Air Force

Barco, a leader in display and visualization solutions for selected professional markets, has been selected by EADS Defence & Security (DS), Ulm, Germany, for the delivery of visualization hardware and software components to be integrated into new radar systems of the German Air Force. The contract fits into a comprehensive program including the upgrade of 22 radar systems for military airfields all over Germany by 2015. For Barco, the contract holds a total value of almost 14 million Euro.

The new radar systems of the type ASR-S ordered by the German authorities will replace 30-year-old radars which have been used for military air traffic control. The new systems will be used for approach control at the airfield itself and for airspace surveillance within a large radius to safely coordinate, amongst other things, military flight movements with civil air traffic. In total, Barco will cater for the upgrade of 21 sites plus one optional site, each representing six ATC controller working positions.

"EADS DS and Barco share a long-term relationship, and also the ASR project has meant years of mutual development efforts," comments Mr. Frank Koehne, Market Director of Barco's Air Traffic Management business unit. "We are glad that our excellent relationship has been confirmed by this contract, all the more because it spans Barco's total portfolio of visualization hardware and software components for the air traffic control market."

"The ASR radar can be considered as the most powerful airport control radar in the world," comments Bernd Wenzler, CEO of Defence Electronics, an integrated Business Unit of EADS DS. "With Barco's integrated visualization components, we will be able to offer reliable and exact target tracking even under difficult environmental conditions."

Into the ASR-S radar system, Barco will integrate its display and processing software components based on the commercial-off-the-shelf software suite OPScenter which has been designed for efficient implementation and operation of high-performance mission-critical systems. OPScenter software components have been widely used in the field of Air Traffic Control (ATC) as well as other command and control applications.

The contract also includes the delivery of Barco's 2Kx2K ISIS main displays, 24" Auxiliary Display Panels and 20" Tower Control Displays. These displays will equip six controller working positions per site, and will each be combined with a touch input device.

"The selection by EADS completes a successful transition of Barco from a provider of HMI toolboxes to a full partnership approach with integrators and ANSPs," comments Mr. Frank Timmermans, Vice President of Barco's Traffic, Surveillance and Monitoring business unit. "What's more, the recent successes with our arrival and departure management software as well as with our software components for radar displays form the basis for further growth in the air traffic management market."

Currently, the first radar system prototype has been implemented at the Air Force site of Büchel. This implementation has served as a basis of the project approval process (Musterzulassung). Further deliveries for Barco are scheduled for 2009.