M/A-COM Technology Solutions, a supplier of high performance semiconductors, announced that the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) Panel has been named as one of R&D Magazines’ 2011 R&D 100 Winners. The MPAR Panel has applications in next generation air traffic control and weather surveillance. It was co-developed by M/A-COM Tech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory under sponsorship from the Federal Aviation Administration. The MPAR Phased Array Panel is the enabling system building block for an advanced, scalable multifunction radar system offering improved performance and added efficiency in the field of air traffic control and weather radar.

“MPAR is an excellent example of the pioneering work M/A-COM Tech is pursuing that applies commercial manufacturing practices to high performance Government, Aerospace and Defense systems,” said Douglas Carlson, head of M/A-COM Tech’s Aerospace and Defense Business Development. “The MPAR Panel represents a new approach to the manufacture of phased array radar having broad applicability across many future systems platforms. We and MIT Lincoln Laboratory are honored to receive this recognition. We believe that the underlying technology represented by the MPAR Panel can enable adoption of affordable phased array systems across many communications and radar applications.”

The Multifunction Phased Array Radar, MPAR, was developed as a next generation alternative to the existing civil radar network currently supplying air traffic and weather surveillance. The MPAR system consolidates eight separate radar systems that currently perform four unique missions --Terminal Air Surveillance, En-Route Air Surveillance, Weather Radar, and Terminal Doppler Radar. The MPAR enables increased resolution and faster operation, providing improved data for weather forecasting together with leading air traffic control capability. An MPAR system is constructed of multiple MPAR Panels functioning coherently to radiate and receive pulses of radar energy used to detect, locate and track both aircraft and weather features.