Radar Service

Radar Service

RADAR SPARE PARTS MANAGEMENT 
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION 
TRAINING 
RADAR EVALUATION 
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR � OUR Radar Service
Radar Systems are our Core Competence
In Radar Service, the steep GmbH provides a full-service package for air surveillance and
approach radar systems. Our support covers the maintenance and repair of radar systems
on site as well as the repair and overhaul by our team of experts in the workshops at our
headquarters in Bonn. We consider ourselves a competent partner for the entire lifecycle
of radar systems, starting with the installation of new systems up to the solution of obsolescence issues.
We service the systems in all aspects of technical documentation and, moreover, support our customers comprehensively in training their personnel. Our in-house developed
radar spare parts for the systems RRP-117/FPS-117 have long been proven in terms of
performance and price effectiveness. In addition, our radar evaluation offers a full analysis
of the systems in terms of engineering technology through flight inspections and system performance checks.
In our services for air surveillance and approach radar systems, all business units of
the steep GmbH interlock, combining the knowhow of the areas Service, Training, Engineering, Energy and Products to a full-service package that offers our customers all services from
a single source.
The steep GmbH was founded in 1961, back then under the name ELEKLUFT GmbH, as a
support service company for public clients in the installation, integration and system support
of various radar systems. During the 1970s and 1980s, the range of services was extended to
the areas of training and documentation as well as radar evaluation. We thus look back onto
more than 50 years of experience and expertise in radar service.
page 02
� Technical Radar Systems Support
Maintenance and Repair on Site and in the Workshop
Our maintenance and repair services in systems support ensure the proper functionality of radar systems and a quick removal of occurring faults. The wide range of services
in systems support includes the traditional service tasks, such as monitoring of operations
and performance, maintenance and repair at customer site and in our facilities, as well as
analysis, verification and consulting services for the optimisation of the employed technology.
The mechanical and electrical radar workshops of the steep GmbH have more than 50 years
of experience, especially with services for the German Air Force regarding the systems
Ground Master 406, RRP-117, MPR and HADR. Services are provided both in framework
contracts as well as by individual order.
Our services in the technical environment of high-performance radar equipment:
� Performance of maintenance, repair, major overhaul,
modification, upgrade, refurbishment
� Installation, deinstallation and modification of electronic
assemblies of military and civilian systems and equipment
� Maintenance and modification
� Repair and overhaul on site
� In-house repair and major overhaul
� Fault and failure analysis
� Analysis of technical specifications of components
� Maintenance and repair with replacement of defective
components and procurement of new components
� Installation and testing of operational capability
� International on-site service
� Installation, assembly and disassembly of equipment,
systems and accessories
� Commissioning of large equipment and re-commissioning after repair work
The technical radar service includes components and parts from the following areas:
�Transmitter
�Receiver
�Antennas
�Repeaters
� Control units
�Mechanics
�Electrics
� Air conditioning/cooling
� Data preparation
� Data presentation
�Communication
page 03
� Radar Spare Parts
The steep GmbH produces spare parts for original components of the radar system RRP117 (Remote Radar Post). These have the same form, fit and function as the parts of the
original equipment manufacturer, but have a better performance and a lower price. Our
portfolio also includes re-designs of obsolete and no longer available original components.
The spare parts have proven successful in deployment for many years. As a rule, they can
also be used in the system FPS-117.
Our spare parts portfolio currently includes L-Band Amplifiers in the versions 2 x 5 W, 50
W and 100 W, T/R Switches, Phase Shifters, Combiner/Divider (1-fold, 6-fold and 10-fold) as
well as DC-Distribution (1-fold, 6-fold and 10-fold).
L-Band Amplifier (in this figure: 2 x 5 W)
T/R Switch
Combiner/Divider (in this figure: 6-fold)
Test Sockets for L-Band Amplifiers
In addition to our spare parts, we offer test
sockets for L-Band Amplifiers. These enable
a functional test and the measurement of the
high-frequency (HF) power of individual amplifiers under operating conditions. This method
allows a significant saving of time in troubleshooting.
page 04
Phase Shifter
DC-Distribution (in this figure: 10-fold)
� Technical Documentation
In addition to the services in radar systems support, our service also covers the technical
documentation as well as a logistics and obsolescence management. This includes the
maintenance of material databases in close cooperation with the customer. In addition, our
department updates and maintains user manuals and service documentations as well as
other relevant documents on the basis of information on technical changes from the workshops and data from radar sites.
Our obsolescence management solves individual challenges in the procurement of obsolete
spare parts through the procurement on global markets as well as by re-designs from steep
and/or partners.
Examples of our services in documentation:
� Technical documentation according to
ASD S1000DTM
� Maintenance instructions
� Operation and user instructions
� Spare parts catalogues
� Circuit diagrams
�Manuals
� Training literature
� Document lifecycle management
� Obsolescence management
� Training
The aim of our service in the area of training is the ideal qualification and advanced education of our clients’ specialist staff for the preventive maintenance of radar systems. Training
contents are for example the use of testing equipment and the targeted adjustment of the
relevant processes. With the implementation of on-site training, we help to create a particularly close link to the customers’ radar system and to the immediate practical application of
the acquired knowledge.
In the development of training materials, our specialists from documentation and training
closely cooperate and, by doing so, ensure the ideal combination of technical and educational subject-matter expertise. In this context, we benefit from the extensive experience
of our training division in qualification of personnel at radar sites as well as in education for
civilian and military customers.
page 05
� Radar Evaluation
Air traffic is steadily increasing, thus imposing severe demands on the radar systems used
for identification or direction of aircraft and plotting of the air traffic situation. For more than
25 years, steep has been providing checks of the radar systems of the German Air Force
(PSR/SSR/Mode S) in regular intervals of two years. Regular checks are performed to ensure that the primary and secondary radar systems are up to the specified performance
characteristics and are compliant with national and international requirements. The
steep GmbH performs flight checks and system performance checks. With the help of a
comprehensive final report, the customer can easily verify the fulfilment of all performance
requirements.
In addition to the services for the German Air Force, steep supports the commissioning of
new surveillance or approach radar systems in various European countries, as well as the
implementation of flight checks in the Middle East.
Flight Checks
Radar users, such as civilian aviation authorities, air navigation service providers or military
air navigation authorities, need to carry out flight checks on radar systems in order to confirm that the system is within the required manufacturer-specific as well as international
regulations and standards (ICAO, Eurocontrol). Radar flight checking typically comprises an
analysis of the following parameters:
� Positional accuracy in range and azimuth
for PSR and SSR, compared with GPS as
a reference
� Probability of detection (Pd) of PSR and
SSR in graphical or tabular representation
� Correlation rate of PSR and SSR
� Cone of silence evaluation
� Decoding rate (Mode A/C and Mode S)
� False plot analysis
�Calculation of the coverage of a sensor
based on terrain data (screening)
System Performance Checks (SPC)
The system performance check verifies that the
systems meet all specified performance demands and all operational requirements. For
this purpose, antenna, transmitter, receiver and
signal processing are checked regularly. In addition, necessary system alignments are performed.
page 06
� Obsolescence Solutions for Radar Systems
Project: Replacement of the Radar Data Processors (RDP) for RRP-117/FPS-117
For more than 40 years, the steep GmbH has been providing technical support services for
the control and reporting centers of the German Air Force. In 2013, steep developed an obsolescence solution for the radar system RRP-117/FPS-117 of the German Air Force. The radar
data processors (RDP) of the radar system, including the functionally linked data processing
and system control components, were obsolete. Within the scope of an obsolescence solution, the obsolete hardware was replaced by suitable commercial off-the-shelf equipment.
The previous hardware was a VAX 6000 computer. The used operating system was a VAX
VMS 5.5 software by the company Digital. The RDP was responsible for the entire control of
the radar system RRP-117/FPS-117, plot processing (target signals) and the correlation of
target information from primary and secondary radar systems. The application software of the
RRP-117/FPS-117 is written in FORTRAN 77 code.
Instead of operating systems Digital VAX VMS 5.5 and Digital UNIX 4.0D, steep uses a Linux
server operating system and thereby benefits from the stability and security of this diversely
and comprehensively used operating system. The application software for the radar system
RRP-117/FPS-117 consists of the mission software as well as the tools used for the creation,
administration and documentation of the mission software. steep has ported this application
software to the Linux operating system. Additional software modules were written in order
that all calls to the application software can be run on the operating system without having to
rewrite the source code of the application software.
Furthermore, an ASTERIX interface was integrated, making it possible to transfer the radar
plot data to the control and reporting center via a standardised radar data network. The operating workstation in the maintenance shelter of the RRP-117/FPS-117 was redesigned and
integrated.
The obsolescence product of the RDP computer by the steep GmbH has been in use for the
radar systems RRP-117/FPS-117 of the German Air Force since the beginning of 2014. With
this obsolescence solution, the remaining term of the radar system that has been in continuous use for approximately 20 years could be extended by more than a decade.
page 07
www.steep.de
The steep GmbH is a leading manufacturer of special customized developments and looks back onto many
years of experience concerning the technical and logistical realisation of projects.
The service portfolio of the steep GmbH is presented in the individual letters of „steep“: S for Service, T for
Training, E for Engineering, E for Energy and P for Products. The competences of the single business units
span from process-optimising consulting and IT support via individual services such as systems integration,
technical services, training and documentation up to designing entire service fields, founding a unique basis
for the design of complex and tailored models.
For further information
please contact:
steep GmbH
Björn Mende
Justus-von-Liebig-Strasse 18
53121 Bonn
Germany
Tel.: +49 228 6681 - 609
Fax: +49 228 6681 - 774
E-mail: bjoern.mende@steep.de
Internet: www.steep.de
2016-05-30/0001
Deriving from our core competences, we integrate premium and innovative products into our customized
service solutions.