Santo Domingo. In response to the remarkable growth of air operations in the north of the country, the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation Idac is committed to substantially improving airspace surveillance and meteorological coverage services.
In an interview with Diario Libre, the general director of Idac, Héctor Porcella, reported that part of the new tasks in line with the country’s development is the installation of two new state-of-the-art radars, one for primary and secondary air traffic and the other a meteorological (doppler), which will serve the Cibao International Airport (Santiago) and Puerto Plata. areas experiencing an increasing volume of international flights.
The Cibao airport facilities are under a large-scale expansion project, which confirms the necessity to meet present needs, but also for the future.
The radar system acquired for the Cibao International Airport Aic, will have the 3D function that will allow Idac to provide airspace surveillance services to the Dominican Republic Air Force Fard, and the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) for the monitoring of unregistered or illegal air operations.
Porcella explained that the Aic’s primary and secondary radar is in process of being manufactured and will cost US$4,986,566, far less than the radar acquired 20 years ago for more than eight million dollars. The acquisitions have been made in accordance with the legal regulations in force for state procurement.
“The explanation provided by the Idac technicians and other experts consulted is that when four or five radars of a certain brand are in operation in a territory, it is not feasible to incorporate a different brand or model because the integration with the control centers is under the absolute responsibility of the aeronautical authority,” said Porcella.
Porcella explains the use of technology
Asked about the technology contracted with the new equipment, Porcella said that Idac gave continuity to the system of the manufacturer Thales, present in the country for more than three decades, not only in the aeronautical sector but also in other areas of mass transportation, such as the Santo Domingo metro.
He stressed that Idac’s decision to acquire new equipment of Thales technology, as the past authorities of the institution did in the periods 1994 and 2003, responds to the practical need to maintain a homogeneous air traffic surveillance system, characteristic of countries with territorial spaces similar to that of the Dominican Republic.
He explained that since 1994 the Dominican State has put into service five stations with the same technology to maintain a standardized air traffic surveillance system and with the maintenance guarantee of the same manufacturer.
Standardization represents significant savings in the acquisition of spare parts and the training of support personnel for navigation services.
Idac has a program in the pipeline to update the radar systems operating at the international airports of Las Américas and Punta Cana with the integration of the 3D function, guaranteeing a greater coverage and surveillance of illegal practices.
Weather radar
Regarding the new meteorological radar station for the Puerto Plata area, based on solid-state Vaisala technology (latest generation with total maintenance coverage of five years), Porcella assured that it represents a significant saving for the country. This radar station will expand the meteorological coverage ring, started with the 2019 Doppler radar owned by Idac and in operation in Punta Cana. According to Porcella, in the specific case of Puerto Plata, with the operation of the new meteorological radar the Idac will expand the coverage of services to institutions that carry out vital tasks in the field of civil protection and national security in contingency situations and natural phenomena, citing the Emergency Operations Center (COE); the National Meteorological Office (Onamet); the Air Force of the Dominican Republic and other agencies of the Central Government. He pointed out that the “solid state” meteorological Doppler radar to be installed on the Isabel de Torres hill in Puerto Plata, also under process of being manufactured, has a total cost of US$3,404,220, plus tax charges. In this case, the selected point offers greater coverage and the project includes, unlike the others, a 25-meter metal tower, a protection shelter, civil works in remote areas and facilities at the General Gregorio Luperón Airport, an access road to the radar station and demolition of existing structures.
NOTE: Taken from the Diario Libre newspaper, October 23, 2023.