What's new at the National Weather Radar Testbed (Phased Array)

A very different type of weather radar is being tested in Norman, Oklahoma at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The technology being evaluated is a phased array antenna that provides electronic steering of the radar beam. As a result of the partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory, the United States Navy's Office of Naval Research, Lockheed Martin Corporation, the University of Oklahoma's Electrical and Computing Engineering Department and School of Meteorology, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the Tri-Agencies' (Department of Commerce, Defense and Transportation) Radar Operations Center, the Federal Aviation Administration's Technical Center and Basic Commerce and Industries, Inc, the National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) has been testing the concepts of a multi-function radar system since 2003. The system continues to demonstrate the advantages of an agile beam weather and aircraft surveillance radar. In this paper, we will describe the present status and future plans for the NWRT and provide examples of the latest results of our testing of the phased array technology.