Bird Strike Prevention Radar Deployed in South Africa

Hensoldt South Africa and Robin Radar have deployed a Max 3D avian radar system at King Shaka International Airport (FALE) in Durban, South Africa, to protect barn swallows and improve aviation safety. The system, which can track thousands of birds and bats in real time, combines 3D altitude information with 60-degree elevation coverage, 360-degree horizontal coverage, and a 15-km instrumented range.

“Though the Max radar serves as an effective tool to bolster safety and empower bird control teams, its goals in this project are also very much centered around conservation,” said Alex Coccia, manager of customer success for avian at Robin Radar.

The barn swallow is an intercontinental migrant species that spends austral summer months, roughly December through February, in southern Africa. The Mount Moreland roost in KwaZulu-Natal Province hosts approximately 3 million birds each evening from September to early March. Just a few kilometers from the airport, these massive flocks create bird strike risks and safety challenges for aircraft operations.

Contractor Hensoldt deployed Robin’s Max radar with a bird viewer web-based display system at FALE, making it one of two African airports with this technology. The project includes Airports Company South Africa, which operates the airport, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which will use radar data for ongoing research and conservation efforts.