Thales RSM NG secondary radar selected by Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland to strengthen Air Traffic Control at Schiphol Airport

Thales has signed a contract with Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (LVNL), the Dutch Air Navigation Services Provider for the delivery of the RSM NG digital Secondary Surveillance Radar with increased performance and reliability for safer air traffic management. Thales’s RSM NG radar will replace Schiphol airport’s current secondary radar with no interruption of service, reinforcing Air Traffic Control at one of the Europe’s busiest airports.

As air traffic increases, air passengers’ safety does not start in the sky, it starts as soon as the airplane is on the ground and air traffic controllers need to know an airplane’s position at all times to ensure security and passenger safety.

The RSM NG is the newest generation of Secondary Surveillance Radars from Thales. Secondary radars are responsible for providing data for the proper management of air traffic by sending interrogations to the transponder of the aircraft, which then responds to the radar with their identification information, position, speed, and other characteristics. This allows ground controllers to have even more accurate information about the aircraft's location in the airspace.

Thales’s RSM NG secondary surveillance radar goes beyond Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) architecture by including Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) technologies within the same sensor. Because the ADS-B receives the information emitted by aircraft once per second (e.g. Identification, altitude, speed, velocity, projected path, etc), it provides air traffic controllers with accurate aircraft information. The result is a state-of-the-art meta-sensor that merges different levels of data (up to 2, 000 aircrafts and 64 simultaneous data outputs), in order to provide accurate and continuous information that contributes to meeting the aircrafts’ 3 NM separation.

In a highly competitive market, Thales was selected for its capability to provide a cutting-edge radar, high detection performances and a trustworthy replacement plan with fast installation of the secondary radar, involving no interruption of service in a complex high traffic dense environment.

To be delivered and installed at Schiphol airport in less than a year, the RSM NG radar contract includes training to LVNL personnel, spare parts, and maintenance of the radar for a duration of 15 to 25 years.

Thales has been working with LVNL for more than 30 years contributing to Air Traffic Control and securing the airspace with Air Traffic Management solutions, radar equipment and navigation aids.

“We are proud to continue to contribute to strengthening air traffic control surveillance detection for our long standing-customer and we thank them for their continued trust in our technology. With high technological expectations from LVNL, the RSM NG, represents a solid performance and no less than 10 patents, with a track record of 40 RSM NG sold since the launch in 2021. With more than 1100 ATC radars in the world, our ATC ensure critical air safety and air surveillance with a solid reputation for performance and reliability”, Lionel de Castellane, VP Civil Radars Segment, Thales

“For LVNL, safety in the airspace is the top priority. Our air traffic controllers must be able to rely on the air traffic situation picture they see to safely guide aircraft and passengers through Dutch airspace. Reliable, robust and modern systems are crucial for this. The new radar at Schiphol Airport, which Thales will implement in collaboration with LVNL, will contribute to ensuring that we can continue to manage air traffic safely, efficiently, and responsibly in the coming decades”, Edward Schaap, Manager of Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance for LVNL

1 ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) is a co-operative surveillance system for real-time air traffic control.

_{2 Mode S - Mode S is a Selective interrogation Mode allowing receiving precise information from the aircraft such as Aircraft ID, speed, altitude or flight status.}