Christine Thropp
The National Center of Atmospheric Research has tapped Ball Aerospace to design a radio frequency front end system under a program aimed at developing next-generation weather data gathering tool.
NCAR’s Airborne Phased Array Radar is meant to boost capability for high-impact weather event data capture to enhance forecasting models, the company said Monday.
Both parties will work on the final system’s proof of concept and expect to have four C-band active electronically scanned arrays making up the APAR system.
A National Science Foundation/NCAR C-130 aircraft will be equipped with the AESAs and will fly near weather events to collect information about structure, dynamics and microphysics.
“The data APAR captures… will serve as an essential tool to help protect our communities from danger,” said Paula Burns, vice president of tactical solutions at Ball Aerospace.
