In a paper issued in June 2008 for the Australian Strategic Air Traffic Management Group ADS-B Implementation Team, an interesting summary is made. See
here.
Airservices has signed a contract to ensure that RASPP sensors can remain operational for a contingency-transition period after the proposed 2012 mandate comes into effect. Enroute radar replacement timing has critical implications for an ATLAS decision.
Readers of PPRuNe will probably understand that the Airservices low level ADS-B project, and the planned removal of low level radars, is heading down the same route as the Super Seasprite helicopter purchase.
It is obvious that the decisions are made by those who never ask advice. For example, how can the “proposed 2012 mandate” ever come in now, as no decision has been made regarding the low level ADS-B project?
As I have pointed out numerous times, the FAA is keeping all of its secondary surveillance radar for airspace above FL180 for safety and other reasons. Why is it that Australia is to go it alone on a cheaper ADS-B only system?
More importantly, this life extension program is completely unsatisfactory. New Zealand has actually issued a contract to completely refurbish their secondary surveillance radar to give a life of at least 20 years. That is what we need here.
It is obvious that Airservices has not considered the situation where the low level ADS-B mandate does not come in, and we therefore will need to keep the secondary surveillance radars for a much longer period. Alternatively, as stated above, we should keep the secondary surveillance radars for high level operations for safety purposes as per the USA.
If you read the document (and the other documents on the site) it is obvious that there is no leadership here.
We have all seen the problems of selling off the secondary airports without any policy. I can assure you what is happening at Airservices in relation to the lack of decision making and leadership in relation to ADS-B and radar will be a greater catastrophe. It will put the lack of air traffic controllers and lack of pilots into the shadows.
Can anyone on this site post the names of people who are making these decisions so they can be held accountable?