A new IL 5 million radar control system, most of it built in Israel, was dedicated at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday. According to airport officials the new installation is tantamount to a new runway inasmuch as it permits much shorter intervals between landings and take-offs. It also keeps incoming planes at prescribed altitudes and at a safe distance from each other.
The new system, greatly increasing the safety of operations at Israel’s international airport, was ordered after a series of near accidents climaxed by one in 1970 involving a plane carrying Premier Golda Meir to the United States. At that time, traffic was controlled mainly by visual reports. The new radar system has a range of 150 kilometers. Most of its components were manufactured by the Elta Electronics Co. of Israel. The rest were purchased in England and Canada.
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