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.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
