Doha, Qatar: To complement development plans and enhance air navigation operations, the long-range L-Band radar was inaugurated in the North of Qatar.

Minister of Transport HE Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti today inaugurated the radar.

Supplied and installed by Thales, the L-band radar complies with state-of-the-art technology and latest national and international standards. It will be covering the Doha Flight Information Region (FIR) with a range of 250 nautical miles (about 400 km), and it can detect aircraft from a height of 3000 to 65000 feet.

The radar and systems are connected to the operations of the Qatar Air Traffic Control Center.

The inauguration ceremony at the site of the radar was attended by French Ambassador to Qatar HE Jean-Baptiste Faivre, Thales Qatar CEO Fabrice de Bodard, and several officials from the MOT and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, after which HE Minister Al-Sulaiti visited the radar operation center and was briefed on its features and systems, which complies with the latest national and international standards and technology.

"With the start of managing the first phase of the Doha Flight Information Region and as the State of Qatar is starting to fully manage the region for the country's airspace, this radar constitutes a qualitative addition to the work of air navigation and an essential step in the field of developing the services it provides, and to enhance its previous achievements, and an affirmation of its continuous approach to making the future of the aviation industry in the State of Qatar more efficient and developed," said HE Minister Al-Sulaiti.

Launching this radar today, he added, is building upon numerous achievements toward bringing the civil aviation sector to the best levels in terms of efficiency and accuracy and this is being done by developing work mechanisms, adopting modern technologies, and keeping pace with international standards, to enhance the status and presence of the State of Qatar on global aviation map, thus achieving the QNV2030.

"In parallel and out of our faith in the national talent and competencies, some Qatari engineers from the Air Navigation Department were sent to French Thales for hands-on training in the operating mechanism of the radar," he noted.

Mohamed Faleh Alhajri, in charge of managing the QCAA, said launching this radar is supporting the progress of the current phase, complementing the development plans in place, and a new step toward a more efficient future for civil aviation.

He added that the QCAA has worked during the past years to enhance its capabilities and implement many plans and strategies, which contributed to adopting the latest technologies and providing the best systems used in the field of air navigation in order to achieve the desired goal of development and progress and building a safe and sustainable civil aviation system according to the highest global standards.

The deployment of this radar comes as part of the measures taken by the QCAA to achieve the fundamental strategic objectives of the Doha FIR, to enhance air traffic control in Qatari airspace, and early detection of air traffic within the region.

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