Latest news with #radar
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- General
- The Independent
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost radar after fiber optic line was cut
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost their radar Friday after a fiber optic line was cut, but the outage didn't lead to disruptions like what happened after similar outages around the Newark, New Jersey, airport this spring. Controllers were able to continue directing planes across five states in the Southeast because a backup system kicked in as designed. The Federal Aviation Administration said no flights were disrupted. The FAA said the radar center in Jacksonville, Florida, continued operating but on alert status because its primary communication line went down. A contractor was working on repairing the severed fiber line Friday afternoon. Authorities didn't specify what caused the severed fiber line or where it happened. The FAA didn't say exactly how long the radar was offline, but when air traffic controllers in a different facility in Philadelphia lost radar twice this spring it took 90 seconds for their systems to reboot after the system went down. Those incidents led to major disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because five controllers went on trauma leave after those outages, and that facility in Philadelphia directs planes in and out of the airport. Hundreds of flights had to be cancelled in Newark because the remaining controllers couldn't safely handle every flight on the schedule. Operations at that airport have since improved significantly An FAA spokesperson said there was 'no loss of critical air traffic service' in Jacksonville because the backup system kicked in. That center is responsible for planes flying across roughly 160,000 square miles of airspace across most of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The problems in Newark were blamed on the failure of aging copper wires that much of the nation's air traffic control system still relies on. Transportation officials said the Newark problems demonstrated the need for a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the system that they are lobbying Congress to approve.
Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost radar after fiber optic line was cut
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost their radar Friday after a fiber optic line was cut, but the outage didn't lead to disruptions like what happened after similar outages around the Newark, New Jersey, airport this spring. Controllers were able to continue directing planes across five states in the Southeast because a backup system kicked in as designed. The Federal Aviation Administration said no flights were disrupted.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- General
- Associated Press
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost radar after fiber optic line was cut
Air traffic controllers in Florida briefly lost their radar Friday after a fiber optic line was cut, but the outage didn't appear to lead to significant disruptions like what happened after similar outages around the Newark, New Jersey, airport this spring. Controllers were able to continue directing planes across five states in the Southeast because a backup system kicked in as designed. The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar center in Jacksonville, Florida, continued operating but on alert status because its primary communication line went down. A contractor was working on repairing the severed fiber line Friday afternoon. Authorities didn't specify what caused the severed fiber line or where it happened. The FAA didn't say exactly how long the radar was offline, but when air traffic controllers in a different facility in Philadelphia lost radar twice this spring it took 90 seconds for their systems to reboot after the system went down. Those incidents led to major disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because five controllers went on trauma leave after those outages, and that facility in Philadelphia directs planes in and out of the airport. Hundreds of flights had to be cancelled in Newark because the remaining controllers couldn't safely handle every flight on the schedule. Operations at that airport have since improved significantly An FAA spokesperson said there was 'no loss of critical air traffic service' in Jacksonville because the backup system kicked in. That center is responsible for planes flying across roughly 160,000 square miles of airspace across most of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The problems in Newark were blamed on the failure of aging copper wires that much of the nation's air traffic control system still relies on. Transportation officials said the Newark problems demonstrated the need for a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the system that they are lobbying Congress to approve.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Mystery object zooming over Washington DC sparks panic as agency scrambles to explain anomaly
A mysterious streak appeared on weather radar over Washington DC on Thursday, sparking theories of weather modification or visitors from another planet. The anomaly, visible on radar loops, was shared online by Kari Lake, a special advisor to the US Agency for Global Media, who asked: 'Anyone know what is shooting across the radar over Washington DC around 3:30pm?' That was around the time a severe thunderstorm rolled into the area, unleashing heavy rains, damaging wind gusts and lightning, which lasted for about one hour. The radar tracked the weather system affecting the region, and a distinct, linear streak moved across the screen. It was not a typical weather pattern, like rain, snow, or hail, which would have appeared more scattered. While baffling, a meteorologist who works for a weather radar agency chimed in to ease the confusion that was spreading online. Matthew Cappucci, senior meteorologist at the app Lake used, explained that the strange line or streak on the radar was not caused by weather or anything unusual. Instead, it was likely caused by something physical, like a water tower or a cell tower, located east of the radar station near Dulles Airport. These structures can block or reflect the radar's signals, creating a false image on the radar screen. This is a common problem with radar systems. 'That can cause a bit of the emitted radar beam to bounce back to radar/cause a spurious signal,' Cappucci said. He added that these types of artifacts are quite common on weather radar. You might also notice things like ground clutter or super refraction. 'Occasionally, we can even detect birds, butterflies, planes, and meteors!' the meteorologist shared. But not everyone is convinced, as one X user commented: 'Sounds like something a meteorologist would say….if they were CIA!!!' However, Lake appeared satisfied with the explanation and thanked Cappucci. The destructive storm toppled trees that crushed cars and houses while cutting power to numerous neighborhoods. More than 15,000 Dominion Energy customers, mostly in Fairfax County, were without power as of noon Friday. Arlington County and Alexandria were also hit hard. More than 3,000 Pepco customers in Montgomery County were without power, along with 455 in Prince George's County and over 870 in Washington DC. Crews are working around the clock to restore service, according to Pepco. Wind gusts reached 61 mph at Washington Reagan National Airport and 66 mph at Dulles International Airport as severe storms swept through the region. Multiple thunderstorm warnings were issued during the evening commute. Despite the intense weather, no serious injuries were reported. That was not the case in New York City, which was also hit by the massive storm. Yassin Khalifa, 15, was struck by lightning in Central Park while enjoying a picnic with his friends. 'I leaned up against a tree, and I told them, `Oh, guys, let´s ride out the storm,´ which in hindsight might not have been the best idea,' Khalifa said. Khalifa said he was knocked unconscious for several minutes. Crystal Mateo, 17, told the New York Times she witnessed the scene and saw Khalifa's friends frantically calling for help and trying to revive him. 'It was scary,' she said. 'I was crying.' Khalifa told WABC he was conscious when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was treated for burns on his neck and leg. Khalifa said he's expected to make a full recovery. 'Apparently, I´m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened. So I´m like, not losing any sort of motor function,' Khalifa said. 'So I´m pretty happy about that.' Lightning kills around 30 people a year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Strikes, though, are usually not fatal. About 90 percent of people injured by a lightning bolt survive.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists build world's first 6G-powered electronic warfare system
Leveraging a next-generation signal processing mechanism, this system can deliver overwhelming advantages against modern military radars , according to researchers involved in the project. The new Northrop Grumman AN/APG-85 radar for the F-35 stealth fighter, for instance, is believed to operate mostly in the X-band, with high frequencies up to 12 gigahertz, rendering traditional electronic countermeasures ineffective. But the 6G weapon masters the high-frequency spectrum with precision and ease. Its photon-powered core can intercept enemy signals and generate over 3,600 false targets to confuse enemy pilots at 12GHz or higher frequencies. While working as a ground-based jammer, the weapon can also perform the role of a powerful communication device, receiving or transmitting a huge amount of battlefield data simultaneously to more than 300 cooperative platforms via optic fibres at an extremely high speed. This marks the world's first publicly confirmed system achieving 'simultaneous same-frequency full-duplex communication and jamming capabilities' – a major leap in 6G military applications.
