NETHERLANDS TESTS RADAR FIX FOR WIND
Raytheon to Supply Wind Turbine Mitigation Technology to the Netherlands Ministry of Defence; First operational implementation of technology to safely distinguish actual aircraft from false readings
March 6, 2012 (PR Newswire via Yahoo Finance)
"Raytheon Company…has been chosen by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to upgrade the air traffic control radar system at the Royal Netherlands Air Force base in the town of Woensdrecht with technology to mitigate the adverse effects on radar performance caused by wind turbines [by the end of 2012]…[This is the technology’s] first operational implementation…
"Wind turbines' rotating blades generate large, moving, false targets that can deluge radars, rendering it difficult for controllers to discriminate between false and genuine aircraft targets…"
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"…The upgrade comes via a combination of hardware and software changes to the primary surveillance radar system…[that] nullify the presence of wind turbines and significantly improve the probability of detection of aircraft targets, both above and beyond wind farms. The application of this technology at Woensdrecht will facilitate the extension of a nearby wind farm without any impact upon flying operations at the base…
"The movement to cleaner energy sources has resulted in worldwide deployment of a large number of wind turbine farms. Raytheon has been applying its radar and signal data processing expertise to develop and implement solutions that allow wind turbines to be safely located near radar facilities…"