A Demonstration of Multifunction Capabilities on the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased-Array Radar

The U.S. Government operates seven radar networks providing weather and aircraft surveillance for public weather services, air traffic control, and homeland defense. A next-generation, multifunction phased array radar (MPAR) concept has been proposed that could provide enhanced weather and aircraft surveillance services with potentially lower life-cycle costs than multiple single-function radar networks. As critical technology costs decrease, MPAR radars could prove to be a cost-effective alternative to current surveillance radars. Because the total number of required radars would be reduced, maintenance and logistics infrastructure would be simplified. The National Weather Radar Testbed Phased-Array Radar (NWRT PAR) located in Norman, OK was established to demonstrate the MPAR concept. Since its inception, scientists and engineers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) have been improving the quality of data produced by this system and, more importantly, demonstrating new capabilities in the context of weather and multifunction observations. Unlike conventional radars, which are constrained by inertial limitations of mechanical scanning, the NWRT PAR can exploit electronic beam steering to simultaneously perform weather and aircraft surveillance functions. This paper presents an overview of the latest improvements to the capabilities of the NWRT PAR to demonstrate this dual functionality. New upgrades include an extension of the signal processor to perform aircraft detection and tracking functions, and modifications to the scan-processing function of the radar real-time controller to allow the interleaved execution of weather and aircraft surveillance scanning strategies.