WARSAW, March 19 (Reuters) – Poland’s air traffic control launched two new radars on Thursday aimed at improving radiolocation data and operational security, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said.
Poland, which regularly scrambles fighter jets along with NATO allies to police its airspace in response to Russian aerial attacks over Ukraine, has been ramping up its air monitoring capabilities.
Poland has reported a number of airspace violations in recent years, including an incursion by around 20 drones Warsaw says were Russian in September and a flurry of balloons from Belarus which it says are meant to probe NATO’s air detection systems.
The new devices are a co-located radar near Katowice and a secondary one near Pultusk, PANSA said. The launch comes as part of an investment plan worth 1.4 billion zlotys between 2024 and 2029.
The technology used in the new radars will enable more precise communication between aircraft and air traffic control, PANSA’s spokesman said, adding that all radar information was also shared with the military.
“PANSA is responsible for civil aviation traffic control, but we also develop civil-military cooperation, i.e. by creating tools enabling flexible airspace management in the event of a necessity to conduct military operations within its part.”
(Reporting by Karol Badohal; Editing by Alison Williams)
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