Radar runway checks for Heathrow

Heathrow airport is reportedly ready to install a radar system designed to scour runways for the kind of debris that brought down Concorde four years ago. According to the Daily Telegraph, the new system, designed by the British electronics company QinetiQ, is able to detect very small objects, such as suitcase wheels or metal nuts, from as far away as 2,000 metres. The system can reportedly work in light and dark, and in all weather conditions. The newspaper reports that BAA will start testing the system today, with plans to install it on both of Heathrow’s runways next year. The technology is also capable of preventing aircraft from entering runways at the wrong place, as well as improving security and providing extra warnings of flocks of birds around the airport. Until now, the Telegraph reports, Heathrow has relied on manual checks of runways – a process that has been blamed for delays. Ian Taylor, head of airfield operations at BAA, is quoted as saying: “We already have a number of effective measures in place to ensure that the runways are kept clear. We believe the QinetiQ system can be a further improvement.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd