THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

Air Traffic Control & Radar Simulators

THE AN/TPS-70 VIRTUAL RADAR SIMULATOR IN THE SOLUTION OF THE AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROL AND SECURITY TRAINING PROBLEMS

By Jairo Uparella

Abstract
Many virtual artifacts concerning to radars that can be found on the Internet or in the specialized
market have something good in common when they try to train people in a subject that is too
complex to be explained with few words. The concept of Radar is understood by anyone who has
seen a war movie in which a green point on the screen represents an aircraft, but it is not easily
understood when other symbol or marked point could indicates a foe or neutral aircraft, meaning
that it requires an understanding of many books about this topic, even re-reading the manual that
comes with the product, which is not a simple task either. In this research and development, we
learned about the real function of the military radar, establishing a connection via network between
a simulated AN/TPS-70 (Northrop-Grumman) Radar Console and the ATCS (Air traffic Control
Simulator), being possible to identify an aircraft with a “squawk code”, a callsign and other values
in a radial sweep of 250 MN. We simulated the function of the transponder/IFF, some functions of
the AN/UYQ-27 RAPPI, which represents the console and digital display, the decoder AN/UPA-
59A unit and the ATCS as a real one to transmit the variables detected by the radar.

Key Words: Simulation, Virtual Simulation, OpenGL, Aircraft, Speed, Waypoint, Fix point, Data
block, Route. Army Navy / Transportable-Radar-Detecting / Range and Bearing, Search - 70

1. Introduction

In this development of a radar simulator, which just fit in a Computer-based Simulation, we

modeled many functions of the console (buttons and potentiometers) of the military radar, the
Planned Position Indicator - PPI and elements, the decoder and the keyboard. It operates
connected to another desktop computer running the ACTS - Air Traffic Control Simulator, with
many planes and maps, which transmit the main data to the radar. The decoder refers to the
AN/UPA-59A. It is an automatic decoding system that operates in conjunction with interrogators
or IFF/SSR. It processes pulse-coded replies received by the interrogator system and provides
video outputs to the PPI and on direct readouts. It consists of an alarm monitor, intratarget data
indicator, and video decoder. Because the simulation is focused to the tactical using of the radar
on the ground and training, this software doesn´t take into account the simulated frequencies of
operation and identification signal formats and other aspects that make part of the normal
assumptions defined in the virtual simulation.

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

Virtual Radar AN/TPS-70

Although the ATCS works like a radar or Instructor station, it is based in own characteristics of the
Air Traffic Controller. As a simulator, it can be used such as exercise organizer and as a flight
planner, to train a radar operator. It works like a route editor where is possible to place an aircraft
by tracing a line or route composed by waypoints, placing fixpoints or AtoN symbols, zooming in,
zooming out and moving (pan) the map as any digital map. It can draw 1000 routes with 100
waypoints each, unless these values need to be increased. These two programs are connected via
network, sharing information of question and answer in a model Client/Server, until now, reading
a single file from a shared folder. In a future they could be interconnected by means of UDP
sockets.

Virtual ATCS

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

Both packages were programmed with C++ language and OpenGL libraries, so we had to build our
own menu system, route tracer, maps, symbols, etc., independently of WindowsTM or any other
operating system. They don´t need a special program to be installed on disk.

Some radar functions

It is easy to push the buttons of the console by clicking on each of them (up, down, left, right) or
just dragging the virtual pots (variable resistors) to attenuate the lights, map, cursor, symbols on
the PPI, datablock, etc., as it happens in a real one. The radar is exposed in a LCD TV set 42”, with a
resolution of 1980 x 1080 pixels, big enough to read and find the controls that a trainee (or
operator) needs.

Hardware and software of the whole radar simulator

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

2. The ATCS Editor

Showing a map

The first task that has to be done in the editor is to show a map that could be:
Terrain > Satellite map
Terrain > Relief map
Terrain > Single map

The file of the scenario is located in the ATCS folder where is saved all the info collected in the
map editor. This file contains:

 Flight lines and waypoints, coordinates, angles, color, state and other characteristics.
 Fixpoints (AToNs), coordinates, angles, color, state and the labels or text typed on the map.
 Aircraft acquires their characteristics according to the scenario, such as coordinates if they are
flying and a color that could be equal to the flight line.

Aircraft Dialog and AtoNs

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

For each aircraft is saved its CID (computer identifier), CallSign, Type, Instruments for
detecting collision or approximation, affiliation (bad guy or good one), assigned route and
other data as ETD and DPW. Among data that is not saved we found squawk code, squawking
mode, own datablock, cinematic and position.
 The weather established for the different regions and the general ambient schema for the
whole scenario.
 Tools as compass rose, grid, range rings, bearing lines, ruler or measurement tape, that are
placed during the exercise and others as ILS, VOR, VORDME, POIs and helipads that could be
saved.
 Lines, boundaries and limits, rectangles, ellipsis, designed on the map and their characteristics,
dimensions, position and colors.

Placing fixpoints and Labels on the map

One of the purposes of the ATCS is to offer a variety of symbols to allow the identification of
points, regions, places or cities on the map. The database encloses a quantity of these symbols and
of course, there is no limit for these points and their symbols. The procedure for doing this is by
choosing a color first and later determining the altitude of the symbols which has to correspond to
the elevation on earth.

It is deeply necessary to give heights to airports and runaways when the appropriate fixpoints is
placed on the map. All planes read the height of the airport for taking-off or landing and also, of
any symbol or initial waypoint, which they can calculate its own FL (Flight Level).

An aircraft between two places

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

Symbols can have a height with value of 0, but the software does not validate it when a new route
is created for any plane.

From the aircraft dialog box, planes are identified with an IFF squawk code in the same way as in
real life. It is done by clicking the switch for each digit (from 0 to 7), selecting the squawk mode (1,
2, 3/A, 4, B, C, D, S) and then pushing the button IDENT, which can be seen in the SSR radar.

Transponder on board - Identifying a plane

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

The map can be updated with names of regions, cities or other labels that even could depend on
IATA – ICAO Codes. The proper icon [T] in the toolbar, stretch a little circle along with an
intermittent prompt, waiting for the text. The length of the text is 10 characters.

3. The Situation Display Console-SDC and decoder/interrogator

The graphic interface of the radar does have neither menus nor options, but some aids that
normally are used in the real radar, facilitating the training process. The only difference is that the
functions of the trackball are controlled by mouse just to have one pointer to work with the
elements of the PPI inside and the buttons and pots of the console outside.

The virtual radar reproduces the next functions:

Intratarget Data Indicator – Panel for the active readout of

codes of the acquired targets.

Modes of interrogation – Selection of the interrogative

mode by means of switches.

Reply video inputs – To process the signals and display on

the PPI.

Active / Passive decoding – For the codes of mode 1, 2 y

3/A.

Selected Altitude Layer (SAL) – Layer of selected altitude,

to identify targets in mode C.

Range/Azimuth gate – To start the active readout of

targets in the air space.

Planned Position Indicator – PPI, to display decoded

targets. Defined as the Primary Radar Display Indicator.

The selection of modes is allowed by the

decoder/interrogator AN/UPA-59 A (see Pic.), that is a
subsystem of the IFF Mark X System. It processes the
answer to supply the active and passive decoding and
altitudes.

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

Sweeping with different ranges in MN or Km

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

The radar position and the map

4. FUTURE WORK

This project must be finished with a Flight Simulator,

which another trainee in a virtual aircraft can be
guided to intercept the enemy.

Although this project is developed and referenced as

first edition, It is a complete simulator where trainees,
and why not, experts can practice easily the rules of
interception and communication between radar
controller and pilot under certain conditions and
different places.

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

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Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com
 THE AN/TPS-70 PROJECT RADAR SIMULATOR – NOV 2014

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Jairo Uparella, Simulación Virtual Interactiva, 3Dium, Cartagena-Colombia 2014.

 Virtual 3D environments designer – 3D Modeler - Simulation - C++ OpenGL Programmer

 Teacher, Conferee, Writer
 ERB Researcher, ERB Inc
 http://youtu.be/J02hsRSYjTI
 Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Concentration Computer Science, 2005

Jairo Uparella B.Sc. Computer Science – Specialized Computer Programs & Electronics
Cel: 315-7342855 E-mail: juparella@yahoo.com