Thales launches TRAC SIGMA – an innovative multi-mission primary surveillance radar for approach and long-range air surveillance

With more than 1,200 Air Traffic Control radars installed in over 100 countries, Thales is a leader in this market and today unveils TRAC SIGMA, its new Primary Surveillance Radar, helping to ensure faster coordination between military and civil operations in an ever-congested airspace.

With the increasing congestion of airspace due to the growing number of aircraft, military aircraft will need to fly at lower and higher altitudes, and the minimum distance between aircraft will become ever more crucial. In line with ICAO recommendations, it will become essential for both civil and military air traffic controllers to optimize the minimum horizontal separation between aircraft to three Nautical Miles (NM) across the entire airspace - not just during final approach.

The TRAC SIGMA, the latest product from Thales’s worldwide field proven TRAC Primary Surveillance Radar family, leverages the latest in digital technologies; bringing to the market outstanding performances with enhanced detection capabilities at an extended coverage. It is the only radar of its class to discriminate small targets with precision at an extended range (300KM), helping ensure the 3NM distance separation over the entire airspace, while also ensuring approach surveillance.

This radar inherits advanced 3D detection capabilities and unmatched discrimination of small aircraft wherever they are flying whether at high altitude, low altitude or long distance, a high availability/reliability due to full redundancy and hot swap component replacement, jamming/interference resistance, as well as compliance with international standards and regulations. The 2 in 1 radar also helps improve life-cycle costs with optimized infrastructure and resources.