Thales selected by Malaysia to strengthen air traffic control at Johor Bahru airport

• Thales’ RSM NG radar to enhance air traffic surveillance at Johor Bahru Airport in southern Peninsular Malaysia, ensuring the highest levels of safety and operational efficiency.
• Capable of tracking up to 2,000 aircraft at once, the system supports up to 64 simultaneous data streams to Air Traffic Control Centres, providing seamless coverage for busy airspace.
• By integrating both Mode S¹ and ADS-B detection², the radar reduces interference and delivers quicker, more accurate tracking as well as RF pollution reduction.

Thales, in collaboration with local partner Novatis, is upgrading the radar station at Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai airport in Johor Bahru, which is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). This modernisation will enhance both approach surveillance at the airport and surveillance services at Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre. With the addition of Thales’ RSM NG radar, the region will now benefit from two Thales radars systems, providing comprehensive coverage across both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. This ensures that air traffic controllers can track aircraft position seamlessly, regardless of the conditions.

Thales’ RSM NG secondary surveillance radar will replace the airport’s existing secondary radar with minimal service disruption, strengthening air traffic control at an airport that handles around 5 million passengers per year. Thales will manufacture, deliver and install the RSM NG along with its ADS-B system.

This new system will bring many benefits, including:

• Enhanced airspace surveillance and sovereignty: the RSM NG will deliver real-time information on cooperative aircraft to strengthen Malaysia’s ability to monitor and secure its national airspace.
• Greater reliability and resilience in aircraft identification: its meta-sensor provides more accurate identification and tracking, ensuring continuity of information even in cases of jamming or spoofing attempts.
• Robust cybersecurity protection: Equipped with the latest cybersecurity updates, the RSM NG safeguards critical surveillance data against evolving digital threats.

Thales will install two ADS-B stations as complementary surveillance solutions to enhance radar coverage and expand air traffic control (ATC) surveillance capabilities. This initiative aims to boost the safety and efficiency of air traffic control by providing enhanced detection and enabling better management of aircraft movements within the designated area.

With over 50 years’ experience in Air Traffic Control and Surveillance, and more than 1,200 radars operating around the globe, Thales is the trusted leader in this domain worldwide. In Southeast Asia, Thales has recently installed radars in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

“Thales is delighted to support the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia in advancing its Digital Strategic Plan. This collaboration marks a significant step towards enhancing both operational efficiency and safety at Johor’s airport. With this new contract, we are reinforcing our commitment to the modernisation of air traffic management and to the long-term development of Malaysia’s aviation infrastructure." Lionel de CASTELLANE, Vice President Air Traffic Radars, Thales.

¹ Mode S - Mode S is a Selective interrogation Mode allowing receiving precise information from the aircraft such as Aircraft ID, speed, altitude or flight status

² ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) is a co-operative surveillance system for real-time air traffic control.