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Nov. 5 , 1997 |
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Rel. No. 98-04 |
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More information - Mitch Barker 425/227-1203 (Use area code 206 if 425 doesn’t work.) |
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For immediate release: |
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New FAA radar commissioned in north central Montana |
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A significantly upgraded air traffic surveillance radar was commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration Nov. 4 near Great Falls. |
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The radar detects aircraft in its coverage area, a 250 nautical mile radius from Bootlegger Ridge, about 14 miles northeast of Great Falls. Information on aircraft will be relayed to air traffic controllers at the Salt Lake City Utah Air Route Traffic Control Center. The facility’s joint user, the U.S. Air Force, will use the radar information for protection of the nation’s airspace. The Air Route Surveillance Radar (ARSR-4) is an upgrade to a radar nearby that used vacuum tube technology. The upgrade will be more reliable, easier to maintain, and increases the radar coverage area from 200 to 250 nautical miles. It is part of the FAA’s ongoing efforts to upgrade and modernize the national aviation system and cost over $12 million. This is the fourth such facility to be commissioned in the FAA’s Northwest Mountain Region which includes Wash., Ore., Idaho, Mont., Utah, Wyo. and Colo. Other ARSR-4’s commissioned in the region this year are at Salem, Ore.; Spokane and Makah, Wash. Another ARSR-4 is expected to be commissioned late this year or early next year at Lakeside, Mont. |
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