Offshore surveillance system

The first helicopter surveillance system for offshore operations has been launched for the North Sea by Oil & Gas UK and NATS Services.

It is claimed the system will enable air traffic controllers to see helicopters on their radar screens at Aberdeen Airport at a far greater range from the shore than has previously been possible using solely shore-based radars.

Oil & Gas UK and NATS Services hope the new system will further reduce the risk of near miss incidents with other aircraft and increase the speed and efficiency of search and rescue operations.

The Helicopter Task Group, one of the main promoters of the project, has hailed the system as a breakthrough in helicopter safety.

‘Previously, helicopters were lost to land-based radar at about 80 miles from the coast, because radar coverage doesn’t extend beyond that distance,’ said Bob Keiller, chair of the Helicopter Task Group.

‘The new system uses multilateration to allow flight paths to be tracked all the way to an installation in real time. It is designed to detect aircraft up to 500ft above sea level or better, depending on the helicopter's position.’

Multilateration uses multiple position points to determine the exact location of a helicopter. To provide maximum coverage, equipment is being fitted to 16 host platforms, which have been divided into four clusters, each of four platforms.