New Radar ( MSSR) Installation in Bhatte Danda has completed by CAAN
04 July, 2016 – Eventually, after four years of long run, the installation of next generation radar system has completed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, CAAN at Bhatte Danda, located in Lalitpur and respectively appealed for bids for the commissioning of flights inspection.
On Tuesday, CAAN appealed for global bids to carry out flight inspection of Mode S Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR), which can track flight upto 250 nautical miles. After successful conduction of test, the radar is anticipated to come in operation by coming November.
According to the Sanjeev Singh Kathayat, the project’s chief, “In the September a technical test of this latest radar shall be carried out with an exclusive flight for around 40 hours and once the test turn positive, the radar will fully begin its operation by this November.”
Eighteen air traffic controllers (ATC) have already acquired imperative training from Japan to handle the new radar system and the ground test of the radar system was run for 360 hours by CAAN, and the test was a success.
The total operation cost for the test with an exclusive flight will cost approximately $4,400 per hour and it shall be conducted in all the routes.
The project covers two components, fitting of new radar at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), which would operate for terminal approach aircraft and will imparts radar surveillance up to 50 nautical miles and the other radar in Bhatte Danda that will imparts an en-route surveillance of flights up to 250 nautical miles, till Dang in the west and utter country in the north, south and east.
After the implementation of the new system, the radars will track small aircraft flying domestic air routes furthermore international aircraft flying at high altitudes.
In addition, the radars give the luxury to fetch information about flight movement, landing and takeoff, current weather update, aircraft identity and altitude level.
This new radar system likely to replace existing 18 years old equipment at TIA.
Preliminary, the project was planned to put an end by 2015, however delayed due to catastrophic earthquake, further delayed by the fuel shortage as a result of an Indian blockade on Nepal.
The project funding mobilization was endorsed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) , which supported Rs906 million to complete the project. And this project is a wing of the borader TIA modernization project.
