TAFLIR is the abbreviation for the "Tactical Flight Radar" of the

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army and ...

. TAFLIR is used to improve the Recognized Air Picture and to support

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

and

air surveillance The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

of the

Background

The

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

is such that certain areas and even radar shadows do not allow surveillance by permanently installed radars placed on mountains. In 1985, five mobile radar systems were purchased for 254 million

Swiss franc The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...

s in order to address this problem. Switzerland procured the mobile radars to improve the nation's aerial warfare capability. However, the system's viability in a military operation was a controversial matter that was brought to attention and addressed in the initial attack waves of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

Technology

TAFLIR is a version of the

AN/TPS-70 AN/TPS-70 is a mobile rotating S band phased array 3D radar produced by Westinghouse (Northrop Grumman). It can track 500 targets, displaying target range, height, azimuth, Identification Friend/Foe (IFF) information from an altitude of 0 to 10 ...

radar produced by Westinghouse (now

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...

), modified for Swiss requirements. It replaced the

Target Allocation Radar TPS-1E The Target allocation radar TPS-1E (German:Zielzuweisungsradar TPS-1E (ZZR)) is an omnidirectional pulse radar device. It was used from 1958 until 1989 by the Swiss Air Force. It was also used by German army (''Heer'') air defence reconnaissance pl ...

. These AN/MPQ-64 radars are a variant of the Northrop Grumman

AN/TPS-75 The AN/TPS-75 is a transportable passive electronically scanned array air search 3D radar produced in the United States. It was originally designated the TPS-43E2. Although the antenna is a radically new design from the TPS-43, the radar van itse ...

and can be deployed in areas of difficult terrain to improve the Recognized Air Picture. Peacetime TAFLIR deployment locations are at

Dübendorf Dübendorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population of about 30,000 (2021). It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after Zürich, Winter ...

and Payerne. In times of crisis or war they can be deployed anywhere. They employ a

phased array antenna In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...

, which reduces the appearance of side lobes by more than 50%, thus reducing vulnerability to anti-radar missiles and a

secondary radar Secondary surveillance radar (SSR)''Secondary Surveillance Radar'', Stevens M.C. Artech House, is a radar system used in air traffic control (ATC), that unlike primary radar systems that measure the bearing and distance of targets using the d ...

. The radar uses a phase-encoded

pulse compression Pulse compression is a signal processing technique commonly used by radar, sonar and echography to increase the range resolution as well as the signal to noise ratio. This is achieved by modulating the transmitted pulse and then correlating th ...

to improve accuracy and resolution at a distance. As an active protection measure against

electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

the

frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...

can be changed to

pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

. The heart of the TAFLIR system is the rotating antenna mounted on a truck. Containers hold further components such as radar electronics, terminal operation and cooling equipment. The modular TAFLIR system allows vehicles can be exchanged and the TAFLIR may relocate within hours. Radar data of the TAFLIR are fed directly to the

FLORAKO FLORAKO is a Swiss radar system for military and civil aviation. The acronym stands for FLORIDA radar replacement air radar system capable communication system (in German: FLORIDA Radarersatz Radarluftlagesystem Kommunikationssystem) in the initia ...

system. *Name = AN/TPS-70 (modified) *Frequency = 2.9-3.1 GHz (S-band) *PRT = classified *PRF = 235–275 Hz *PW = 4.8 ± 0.25 ĩS *Home time = classified *Deadtime = classified *PI = 2.8 MW *PAVE = 4.7 kW *Rmax = 80 km *Distance resolution = 30/200 meters *Theta = 1.1 ° *Hits = number classified *Antenna speed RPM = 4.5 / min

Deployment

In times of peace, the system is stationed near military airfields to improve the Recognized Air Picture. Any systems not in use are stored in particular

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fie ...

-protected

caverns A cave or cavern is a natural void in the Earth#Surface, ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller opening ...

. The TAFLIR system can operate in any location accessible by truck and can be deployed within a few hours. TAFLIR is deployed to support security during annual

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

meetings in

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...

, Switzerland. A mobile radar LW company is required to operate a TAFLIR system. All the mobile companies belong to Air Force Radar Battalion 2. The Austrian Tiefflieger Acquisition Radar (TER) is a comparable system. TAFLIR deployment locations are at

and Payerne. In times of crisis or war they can be redeployed elsewhere.''Forecast International''
Datenblatt AN/TPS-70. Retrieved, 2 February 2010.

References

{{Air forces in Europe Swiss Air Force Military equipment of Switzerland Ground radars

Background

Technology

Deployment

See also

References