Rohde & Schwarz has performed an impressive installation of its latest direction finding (DF) antenna by helicopter for the German air navigation service provider (ANSP) DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH.
The DF antenna, which is part of a new air traffic control (ATC) solution (R&S DF-ATC) that allows controllers to obtain accurate DF results for up to 32 channels in parallel, was installed in an almost inaccessible location.
Having completed five of the six contracted installations, the last proved to be the most challenging. The site was located within a forest and was only accessible via a narrow track, which was unpassable for a truck-mounted crane without cutting down part of the forest. The aerial installation was deemed a more environmentally-friendly solution.
Rohde & Schwarz were awarded the contract for R&S DF-ATC sytems in 2018, at the DFS centre in Langen and five German airports (Nuremberg, Hamburg, Münster/Osnabrück, Stuttgart and Hanover). The systems increase the air traffic controller’s situational awareness by clearly referencing calling aircraft on a radar screen. The ATC DFs are housed in weatherproof units and usually mounted underneath a DF antenna that is three metres in diameter and weighs 120 kilograms. They are typically installed at a height of five meters, but to be taller than the surrounding trees, this was increased to 35 meters.
“Installation by helicopter was a very special challenge and certainly not without risk, while the current security situation made it even more complicated organisationally,” explained Henrik Rausch, Senior Program Manager Monitoring and Network Testing at Rohde & Schwarz. “Site by site, we delivered and installed new direction finders and we are very proud to provide DFS with our latest technology. We have an excellent partnership with our customer, who benefits from our expertise in providing complete ATC direction finding systems as a turnkey solution. It is part of our advanced CERTIUM universe.”
