Heathrow, the world’s busiest international airport has invested in a state of the art radar system to further improve safety by continuously sweeping its runways for foreign objects and debris (FOD).

Supplied by QinetiQ, the Tarsier system is already being used to detect FOD on the southern runway at Heathrow following a successful operational trial. Two radars scan the 3,658 metre runway area 24 hours a day, locating objects that could be drawn into engines or damage aircraft systems. 

The contract also includes a further enhancement of the Tarsier system through the use of high specification day/night cameras that will allow the remote visual confirmation of detected debris. 

"Safety is our top priority" commented Colin Wood, Airside Operations Director, Heathrow. "Tarsier is a proven technological solution to the problem of FOD and will assist our operations team in carrying out regular visual runway inspections by acting as an additional pair of eyes.”

He added: "Tarsier also has the additional benefit of enabling Heathrow to deliver an improved service to the 68 million passengers who use the airport each year, by minimising delays caused by FOD."

The permanent installation of Tarsier at Heathrow is part of BAA's drive to maximise use of existing runways and drive down delays. Heathrow Airport is full with its runways operating at 99 per cent of capacity and any interruption to the use of its runways can result in significant delays to passengers. Tarsier will help to improve airport operations by ensuring FOD is detected and removed more quickly and more efficiently.

Phil McLachlan, Managing Director of QinetiQ Airport Technologies said: "We are delighted that Tarsier is playing an important role in maximising capacity and easing congestion at Heathrow that handles close to half a million aircraft movements each year. It is an added bonus for us that technology developed in the UK is now fully operational at the country's flagship airport."  

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Notes to editors:

About Tarsier:

• The Tarsier FOD radar detection system is based on high-resolution millimetre wave radar and can operate at day and night.
• Tarsier is able to detect small objects to within three metres anywhere on the runway.
• The system can detect a range of materials, including metal, plastic, glass, wood, fiberglass and organic matter.
• A recent innovation is the addition of high specification day/night cameras that allow the remote visual confirmation of detected debris.
• Tarsier was first purchased by Vancouver International Airport and has been operating there since January 2007.Tarsier is now also installed at Dubai International Airport and Providence Rhode Island as well as London Heathrow Airport. It has also been purchased by Doha International Airport.
• The system gets its name from the tarsier, a small nocturnal mammal renowned for its enormous eyes and excellent night vision.
• Tarsier is already operating on LHR's south runway following a successful trial and is to be installed on the north runway. On each runway, the system consists of two radars.
• The radars are mounted on towers of height seven metres, approximately 150 meters from runway edge.
• The contract also includes a further enhancement of the Tarsier system through the use of high specification day/night cameras that will allow the remote visual confirmation of detected debris.
• A display unit installed in LHR’s Operations Centre provides the airport operations team an around-the-clock runway picture.
• The display unit provides airport operations staff with location coordinates of detected FOD allowing them to go directly to the FOD location and retrieve the object in a matter of minutes.

About QinetiQ:
QinetiQ (pronounced "kinetic") is a leading international defence and security technology company with a staff base exceeding 8,000 in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Australasia) and 5,500 in North America.
 
QinetiQ's vision is to be the world's leading provider of defence and security based technology solutions and services.
 
In February 2006, QinetiQ Group plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange and formally became a member of the FTSE250 in June 2006. In the year to 31 March 2008, QinetiQ delivered a 19 per cent increase in revenue to £1,366m, including organic growth of 8.6 per cent, and a 20 per cent increase in underlying operating profit to £127m. Underlying earnings per share increased by 19% to 13.4p per share.
 
For further information see www.QinetiQ.com.