Minister of Civil Aviation Says Belize to Acquire its Own Radar

The drug planes seem to have subsided with their wanton landings in the remotest parts of Belize. When they do, it’s primarily because what we currently have does not enable us to detect their approach. But Belize will be ready in the latter part of 2023, to be able to detect and better track these planes before they enter our airspace. Today, News Five asked Minister of Civil Aviation, Andre Perez about our progress to get the advanced radar that we need to detect these planes well in advance to enable our law enforcers to be better able to intercept them upon landing. He said that Belize will have that radar in place by next September and it won’t be the one that the U.S. has promised us.

Andre Perez

Andre Perez, Minister of Civil Aviation

“We are actually getting our very own radar via COCESSNA, which is the regional aero-navigational body that provides the navigational aero-services to the whole region, and Belize is a member. So Belize being a member qualifies to get this radar, which is going to be somewhere between six point five to seven million dollars. So it is something that Belize has earned fair and square and it’s not really a donation. It is scheduled to be installed no later than September of this coming year because there are logistics behind it. It’s going to be a primary radar, which is going to be the first time that Belize will acquire a primary radar because presently we only have a secondary radar. The difference is with the primary radar now that we have, it will be able to track any plane that is illegally coming into the airspace of Belize. We will be able to detect it, even if they turn off their transponder, we will be able to detect it. Secondly, it also comes with a meteorological radar as well. It will provide meteorological services. We have been in collaboration with the Ministry – with Minister Habet as well, because the radar that we have for the Met Service goes on and off so that one will be disabled because it runs in the same frequency. So that is cutting-edge technology as well for weather as well so it’s two in one that we’re getting. So we’re very much excited, we have secured it. I am set to sign the contract with the company – It’s a company in Europe, the headquarters is in Madrid. So via COCESSNA we’re putting in this primary radar. The reason why it’s going to be September is because of the logistics behind it. It will have to be installed together with the secondary radar and it’s going to be in a strategic location. Of course it’s national security. We have to really have it properly guarded. We don’t want to be exposed to any kind of sabotage or something so it’s very important we do that. So we’re working on that, the technical people are coming in very soon to assess where it’s going to be set up, to put the foundation and everything so the logistics is being done and I am told that no later than next year September we’ll be inaugurating a brand new primary radar.”