The announcement of the Cranfield Airport radar upgrade 2025 marks a major step forward for aviation capability in Bedfordshire. A new 38 metre radar tower will become operational next year, standing alongside the existing digital control tower that opened in 2018. The Cranfield Airport radar upgrade 2025 is designed to enhance how the airport maps and manages its surrounding airspace by actively detecting aircraft rather than relying solely on transmitted information.
Airport director Rob Abbott described the development as “a huge boost to Cranfield Airport’s capabilities”. At present, controllers can only identify aircraft in the vicinity if those aircraft are participating in the service. With the Cranfield Airport radar upgrade 2025, Abbott said the volume of information available to pilots will increase significantly, helping them navigate the local airspace with much greater clarity and confidence. The tower has been funded by UK Research and Innovation and represents the first on site radar installation at Cranfield for more than 30 years.
Cranfield University, which owns the airfield, will also benefit from the additional technology. Prof Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at the university, said: “The new radar will give us much richer data and improved quality of information – that’s crucial to us carrying out our advanced research projects into the future of airspace and aviation.” The Cranfield Airport radar upgrade 2025 therefore supports both commercial operations and the university’s long standing role as a centre of aviation innovation.
The announcement comes after a challenging period for the site. In October, aerospace company Marshall Group confirmed that its proposed move from Cambridge Airport to Cranfield Airport was “no longer affordable”. The university’s chief executive and vice chancellor Dame Karen Holford said the decision was not “the outcome we’d hoped for”. Even so, the Cranfield Airport radar upgrade 2025 shows that investment in the airport’s long term research and operational capacity continues, ensuring the site remains central to future aviation development.
