2 foreign firms bid for Clark airport’s radar system

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Two foreign companies have bid $9.340 million and $9.105 million, respectively, for the setting up of a terminal radar system that would finally transform the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here into a premiere international airport.

Italian firm Alenia Marconi bid higher at P9.340 million than the US-Canadian Raytheon whose bid was $9.105 million, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) executive vice president Victor Jose Luciano said.

Luciano, who presided over the bidding here last Tuesday, said the winner would be known after an "exhaustive study" of the financial and technical capabilities of the two foreign firms.

The winner is expected to be known in a month, he added.

Thales ATM of France was disqualified from the bidding after the CDC’s bidding committee found out that one of its submitted documents was not notarized as required. Its officials later disclosed that its bid was only $8.9 million.

For unknown reasons, US companies Martin Lockheed, which had posted a bid bond of about $10,000, and Northrop Gruman failed to show up for the bidding.

"Clark has so far been using the radar system of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for inbound and outbound flights, but with the installation of its own radar, the DMIA will have complete navigational aid facilities for a modern international airport," Luciano said.

He said the CDC would fund the modern radar system "with an attached sovereign guarantee to be provided by the Philippine Export Import Bank (Philexim)."

Initially, the CDC estimated that the project could cost as high as $9.74 million.

"One of the primary functions of the radar is the safe separation of aircraft during the transition from departure to cruise flight or the transition from cruise flight to a landing approach," Luciano said.

"With the radar acting as eyes, the DMIA will then have the capability to track down objects such as land-based ones, aircraft movements, and even prevailing weather to assist controllers managing air traffic to ensure smooth aviation without delays," he added.

Typically, a radar, an acronym for "radio detection and ranging," is responsible for aircraft at altitudes below 18,000 feet and within the confines of a major airport or a group of airports.

It uses a process similar to how a bat uses "echo-location" to locate insects in the dark. The difference: echo-location uses sound waves, while a radar locates objects via radio waves that it sends out.

Luciano said the radar system is necessary to enhance the safety of aircraft operations at the DMIA in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

He said the project is the "last navigational aid equipment" needed to complete the facilities at the DMIA to ensure "24-hour continued airport operations even during adverse weather conditions."

"Once the terminal radar system is in place, aeronautical fees can be increased, thus providing additional revenues for the airport. Also, (it) will serve as an added attraction to prospective locators such as airline operators, both passenger and cargo," he added.

Luciano said the radar’s installation and commissioning is expected within 18 months, to commence upon the issuance of the notice to proceed to the winning bidder.

The DMIA boasts of two parallel runways, each 3.2 kilometers long and capable of accommodating even the largest commercial and military aircraft.

Earlier, the Canada-based ICAO gave it a Category 1 classification on precision approach.