Air Combat Command rolled out an air traffic radar upgrade to minimize signal interference from commercial wind-turbine farms, officials announced. “The results have proven successful by any measure,” Federal Aviation Administration engineering team leader Mark Carmouche said in a June 10 release. The computer software fix to the Common Air Route Surveillance Radar system used by civil and military agencies was developed by the FAA, and funded by the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security over the last three years. The upgrade filters out many of the false returns generated by turbines moving blade tips and “the results have been verified with multiple flight campaigns” with excellent results, he added. The CARSR upgrade mitigates but does not totally eliminate clutter, and does nothing for airborne or ground-based radars outside the system, according to officials. The agencies involved will continue researching methods to combat wind turbine clutter and upgrading CARSR.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
