NEW EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION
In 1966, the AFHQ Air Staff appointed Squadron Leader Keddy to carry out a full study on Navaids required to carry out the Royal Canadian Air Force mission which would ensure flight safety for the new jet aircraft just coming into usage. S/L Keddy advocated the continued use of Precision Radar as the main landing aid for RCAF aircraft, but recommended that new surveillance radar systems be purchased for all RCAF airfields. The Squadron Leader pointed out that the procedural control as practised by the Air Traffic control system was too slow and inefficient for the jet aircraft just coming into service. He also pointed out that the existing radars used by the RCAF were incapable of adequate coverage for the density and speeds of the jet aircraft which were to be the mainstay of RCAF operations.
The military ATC radar's performance were being hampered by weather, clutter, and spurious targets. The ATC working environment was not considered safe for the provision of safe end effective air traffic control. The basis of all equipment in use in 1966 was a twenty-five year-old mobile radar that had been modified and used far beyond any planned system parameters. Meteorological information and status information on all navigational aids and airfield facilities were being hand-written on strips and often did not reflect the real-time status. In essence, the existing equipment could not be upgraded as it employed obsolete technology. It was plain some automation systems were needed by the RCAF Air Traffic Control System.
The 1966 ATC Precision Radar systems were vacuum-tube circuitry. These tubes were not obtainable in the Western world; the RCAF bought their tubes from Czechoslovakia, but quick response delivery times were becoming critical. Finally, the Keddy report pointed out the critical problems of maintenance of old equipment and stated plainly the ATC problems that would occur due to age and inadequacies of the existing ATC equipment coupled with depletion of wartime experience levels of controllers faced with increased air traffic densities and high speed jet aircraft. He pointed out that the RCAF would face a period of major ATC problems unless some new state-of-the-art ATC equipment was purchased to maintain a high standard of Flight Safety. The result of this report was the Terminal Aids Replacement Program (TARP).
TARP was initiated in 1968; initially the program was coordinated by National Defence Headquarters, but a small team of operations, construction engineers and communications personnel was soon formed and this team visited all bases examining the detailed ATC needs of each base. Regrettably, the first proposal submitted by this team was considered to be too expensive for acceptance in 1969. The proposal arrived at Program Control Board at the same time as the Navy DDH280 Destroyer Project, which was given priority for any funds. In 1972, a reworked and slightly less expensive ($107 million) ATC equipment proposal was again rejected. After several more years of study, the Team decided to break up the projects into two smaller, and more acceptable, Program Change Proposals (PCP).
PCP 1371:
Terminal Radar and Control Systems (TRACS);
Radar Head and Radar equipment;
Area Surveillance Radar;
Secondary Surveillance Radar; and
Associated computer-based display systems.
The initial approval in1976 for this PCP was for 65.5 Million dollars, with an additional 20 million dollars approved in 1979.
The second PCP-1370-Landing Update Project (LAUP) was designed to solid-state the Precision Radar and update the Quadradars. Additionally, Instrument Landing Systems were included for several airports. The initial Program was funded at 15 million dollars for improvement of the following:
Increased elevation angle and multiple target handling;
Solid-state modular plug-in design;
Dual on-line redundant transmitter and receiver with remote switchover;
New display system;
Solid-state Moving Target Indicator System; and
Remoted wiring for greater flexibility.
Each Precision Approach Radar modification required six weeks to be completed. The Quadradar (AN/TPN 501) updated and improved performance in adverse weather, increased the equipment reliability and extended the equipment life. Associated Communications Control equipment was also updated and improved. As well, Instrument Landing Systems were installed at Canadian Forces Bases Moose Jaw and Greenwood for training. The Landing Update program was completed in 1981.
TERMINAL RADAR AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (TRACS)
This Program commenced implementation in 1979 at the following major air operations bases:
CFB Cold Lake;
CFB Moose Jaw;
CFB Bagotville;
CFB Comox;
CFB Trenton; and
CFB Greenwood.
The system included:
A primary radar system;
A secondary radar system; and
New IFR control center buildings.
Additionally, new equipment towers were built to contain the Area Surveillance Radar and the new Secondary Surveillance Radars.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT CENTRE (TASC)
The TASC was organized to provide technical and engineering suport for TRACS sites, to conduct technical personnel training on the TRACS equipment and to carry out conversion training for Air Traffic Control personnel. In June of 1973, ATC personnel took over temporary quarters in Hangar Three at CFB Trenton. In the summer of 1980, Communications Personnel and electronics personnel arrived to take their place in the new building for the Training and Support Centre which had been built on the Air Maintenance Development side of CFB Trenton. On 14 July 1983, the TASC was renamed The Terminal Radar and Communications Support and Training Unit (TRACS STU). This unit was amalgamated into Air Command that same date. The final installation of all TRACS units was completed in early 1983.
Updated: November 29, 2004