Brazil strengthens airspace surveillance with Thales local subsidiary Omnisys

• The Commission for the Implementation of the Airspace Control System (CISCEA) has chosen Omnisys to install primary and secondary route surveillance radars in the cities of Ponta Porã, Corumbá and Porto Murtinho.
• These new radars will be manufactured locally in Brazil and will further extend airspace radar coverage in the region.
• These radars will help the Brazilian Air Force tackle drug trafficking and other forms of smuggling in the mid-west border area.

The Commission for the Implementation of the Airspace Control System (CISCEA) in Brazil has awarded a contract to Thales’s Brazilian subsidiary Omnisys to supply primary and secondary airspace surveillance radar stations. Deployed in the mid-west border area, the surveillance radars will further extend air coverage in this region.

To help limit the amount of illegal goods entering the Brazilian market, the radars developed by Omnisys will improve airspace coverage and make it easier to detect low-altitude aircraft flying illegally over the region, thanks to their electronic protection measures and altimetry functionality coupled with their excellent accuracy and target resolution performance.

The radars will be manufactured in Brazil by Omnisys at its facilities in São Bernardo do Campo (Greater São Paulo area). Omnisys has long experience in the design and production of L-band radars for air traffic surveillance. Around 65 radars have been delivered to date, with more than 60% of production exported to other Latin American countries, Europe and Asia. As well as manufacturing these radars locally, Omnisys will provide the necessary technical support locally to ensure a high level of equipment availability, including preventive and corrective maintenance, field technical support and maintenance and operator training.

• The LP23SST-NG is a latest-generation long-range primary radar capable of detecting all types of cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft. It has a built-in altimetry function that allows accurate three-dimensional identification of targets and electronic countermeasures that protect the radars from intentional and non-intentional electromagnetic interference. It also detects aircraft flying at low or zero speeds, such as helicopters, and with high-speed and high-manoeuvrability capabilities, like fighter jets.
• The RMS970S secondary radar is a market leader, with more than 200 radars in service in 53 countries and a further 60 operating in Brazil. This radar incorporates the latest technological advances to provide an optimal response to operational requirements, including a high contribution to air traffic safety by ensuring total integrity and availability of surveillance and communication data.

The combination of the LP23SST-NG and RMS970S radars is the best solution to ensure effective air traffic control and surveillance. The data from the radars is processed and analysed by the Brazilian Airspace Control System (SISCEAB).

Participating in the strengthening of the Brazilian defence industry and consolidating the entirely local production of the equipment is a great satisfaction for Thales Brazilian subsidiary, Omnisys. It strengthens Thales’ commitment to the country and to Latin America in the mission of making the region safer. Indeed, Thales’s decisive technologies in use in these radars will help the Brazilian Air Force to take the best decision in decisive moments.-Ruben Lazo, Vice President Thales, Latin America.