Navtech Radar, is now the world leading supplier of radar based Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) for airports. Having installed 16 AdvanceGuard solutions, and with a considerable number of airports currently under installation, Navtech Radar have the experience and industry knowledge needed to deliver radar PIDS which are compliant with the standards and recommended practices (SARPs) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) security manual 8973.
Business Development Manager Jason Burger at Navtech Radar said, “Preventative security measures are crucial for passenger safety and confidence as stipulated by the ICAO and EU (300/2008 and 2320/2002) regulations. Uninterrupted running of airport operations is imperative, as unlawful interference culminating in a security breach, can result in huge operating losses due to the evacuation process and or temporary closure of an airport. Commercial Airports typically have very large perimeters many in excess of 15km, which are expensive and difficult to secure, especially in adverse weather conditions. Navtech Radar’s frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) 76GHz technology is ideally suited to the challenge. The robust design of the radars, coupled with the ability to operate 24 /7 in all light and weather conditions, even in dense fog, make AdvanceGuard the preferred technology for the challenges faced by airport operations and security services. With low installation and ongoing maintenance cost, the overall cost of ownership is very competitive compared to traditional fence detection systems. Navtech’s radar surveillance technology can deliver further cost-saving by re-addressing the balance between technology and manned security guarding. With 360° radius detection offering a range of up to 1000 metres man detection, Navtech’s radar systems are the perfect solution for perimeter and critical security restricted area (CSRA) surveillance. Multiple overlapping radar sensors can be networked to offer site wide security coverage, controlled and monitored via a single PC running Navtech Radar’s sophisticated physical security information management (PSIM) software – Witness.”
AdvanceGuard reference sites include: Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Valencia in Spain, and Bristol Airport in the UK. An additional benefit of the Navtech Radar AdvanceGuard System is that it also has the potential to be used as a (SMR) surface movement system, meaning that the radars would serve a dual purpose.
Project Manager for Equipment & Facilities in the Operations, Security and Services Directorate, Fernando Garcia Rodrigues, Valencia Airport says, “We had a number of main issues we wanted to address with the new wide area surveillance solution. We needed to; Detect intrusions to the airport area. Follow intruders once inside the airport, and avoid expensive civil work – we had to cover a huge area but had no tube bank or any other canalisation available for cabling as well as minimize communication and power costs. We further wanted to have the same alarm rate and response in any weather or light conditions and present a friendly and easy-to-use system for the operators. Now, we have a solution with a very low false alarm rate, we can distinguish between ‘friend’ and ‘intruder’ and in the latter case follow the intruder – which makes it much easier, and faster, to direct the intercepting security patrols.”
Chris Ware, Head of Security at Bristol Airport says, “We selected AdvanceGuard based on its all-weather capabilities and operational experience at other airports. A further major factor was that the solution demonstrated the lowest false alarm rate which was demonstrated during testing. We have a lot of fog in Bristol and it was critical that the new solution could cope with that, as well as rain and snow. The AdvanceGuard solution also gives us superior track and trace capability in comparison to other types of technology solutions we looked at. To date, the system has met all our expectations. I would like to highlight that the benefits also include automatic tracking capability and rule-and zone setting flexibility within the witness2 software suite. The system’s alarm log and operator acknowledgement features also provide an audit trail for both employer and employee. Hence, staff can be seen to have followed procedures because there is now a security system in place that documents that they have done so.”
“In comparison with other radar systems which use just one long range radar unit, the Navtech solution was better because the airfield has a non-uniform shape. One large unit would have given us problems with ‘dead zones’ where there would have been no detection due to ground slopes and non-linear fence lines.” Petr Voráč, Head of Security for Ostrava Airport commented.
