Sensis to Provide Wide Area Multilateration Surveillance to U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
Department of Defense’s Premier Test Range Deploys MDS
EAST SYRACUSE, NY – February 13, 2007 – Sensis Corporation announced that the U.S. Army has awarded the company a contract to provide Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) Surveillance at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. Sensis Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) will provide coverage down to 50 ft. with an accuracy of better than 70 meters in a 300 square mile mountainous region known as area “2306 Alpha.” This contract recognizes Sensis’ leadership position in WAM, having fielded the first commissioned multilateration system for wide area surveillance at Innsbruck, Austria, and with several deployments world-wide.
As a premier Department of Defense test range, Yuma tests, evaluates and demonstrates technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Systems, Rotary and Fixed Winged aircraft systems. Sensis MDS will provide the range with high-quality surveillance for military test and training activities; surveillance of over-flight commercial traffic; and “after-action” reporting. Additionally, the multilateration surveillance data will be fused with ASR 11 and Department of Homeland Security Aerostat data to provide a single integrated air picture.
“We were looking for a proven wide-area solution that would enable us to track the complex, high-speed maneuvering aircraft as well as low altitude test aircraft,” said Hugh Lottinger, Range Operations Manager, Yuma Test Center. “We selected Sensis both on the technical superiority of its solution and on the strength of its multilateration deployments in the U.S. and overseas.”
Sensis MDS, a transponder multilateration system, uses lightweight, low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors built to accommodate challenging environments. The system provides precision comparable to GPS, a higher update rate than traditional airport surveillance radar, and consistent surveillance performance regardless of weather conditions. Further, through compatibility, the system provides a bridge to future technologies such as ADS-B.
“Unlike traditional radar, Sensis MDS can be adapted for use in virtually any environment,” said Marc Viggiano, Sensis Air Traffic Systems President. “At Yuma, MDS is solar powered to function most efficiently in the rugged, desert-like environment.”
In addition to Yuma, Sensis MDS is being deployed for WAM in Tasmania, Australia, Patuxent River Naval Air Station (Maryland) and Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (California) – the world’s largest multilateration system.
