Radar systems are more necessary than ever. For the civil aviation industry, the threat of drones is extensive and continues to develop. Many airports need 24/7, unlimited 360-degree coverage to protect their critical infrastructure and vulnerabilities.
And drones aren’t the only issue. You also need airport bird control solutions to give you total visibility of bird activity, which prevents bird mortality and protects your operations from disruption.
These solutions sound great, but many airports are cautious that they come with a hefty upfront cost, especially at a time when budgets are tight. The prospect of paying a single, upfront cost may simply be out of the question.
To those looking to circumvent the initial, immediate cost while still embracing growth, radar-as-a-service (RaaS) is an exciting alternative.
What is Radar-as-a-Service?
An upfront, immediate capital expense (CapEx) was once the only way for an organisation to procure the radar infrastructure they needed.
But now it’s possible to use a more flexible operating expenses (OpEx) model to reduce the strain of large upfront costs.
Radar-as-a-service is an agile service that caters to the unique needs of your airport. With radar-as-a-service, you can take a daunting initial cost and spread it out to more manageable, predictable monthly payments.
RaaS, an effective lease, gives airports and airfields more freedom to reach their growth targets without being slowed down by big upfront expenditures.
Radar-as-a-service helps you protect infrastructure, lower bird mortality rates, and reduce the risk of serious safety hazards and incidents, all without a significant upfront cost.
The 4 Benefits of Radar-as-a-Service
- Removes large, immediate cost
- Scalable to meet your needs
- Agility and easy to upgrade
- OpEx improves approval processes
1. Radar-as-a-Service Removes Immediate Costs
One of the biggest barriers airports face when trying to procure or upgrade their current radar solution is cost.
An OpEx model like radar-as-a-service removes this hurdle. Your airport can lessen the financial blow by spreading the initial cost across predictable monthly payments.
Best of all, you can structure the payment scheme to suit your needs. If your airport also needs drone detection coverage to protect infrastructure from unregulated drone activity, the RaaS model makes it easier to integrate additional solutions without costs going out of control.
2. It Scales to Meet Your Needs
A primary issue facing airports using a CapEx model is that they must pay for their maximum workload, whether they need it or not. The problem is it can be difficult to gauge how much you’re going to need from the solution you’ve paid for. You’re locked into buying the maximum amount, as you want to have too much coverage, rather than too little, when not given any other options.
To overcome this, RaaS is a truly flexible option that’s scalable to meet your needs. Rather than paying in bulk for something you may not fully use, you can scale the service to your requirements.
If it’s determined your organisation needs more coverage, you can upgrade, and your monthly costs change to reflect that. Similarly, the opposite is true as well. It’s a much more freeform option that helps make the procurement process less daunting.
3. Radar-as-a-Service Enables Operational Agility
In much the same way that RaaS is a more scalable, freeform option, it also empowers your organisation to become more agile. Usually, upgrading to the latest technology brings even more expense, as upfront fees normally need to be paid once again.
With radar-as-a-service, it means that when the time comes to upgrade, it’s a smoother and more cost-effective process. The price of an upgrade is rolled into your monthly payments, and you can provision and de-provision infrastructure, such as bird detection radar, as needed.
In this sense, your business becomes more ready to adapt to any critical changes as they occur.
4. Budget Approval is Simple
The OpEx model is a more flexible method of payment than the upfront and costly CapEX model.
This means it fits more easily into your airport operational budget. One of the goals of offering radar-as-a-service is to lessen the overall financial impact on businesses at a time when budgets are being closely scrutinised. RaaS is a more cost-effective solution and ensures that businesses have access to the latest technology.
The Future of Radar Delivery is Radar as a Service
Bird detection radars empower airports to combat drone threats and keep bird mortality rates low. It’s a fluid, cost-effective solution that helps organisations to be better prepared, and ready to deal with anything. And with radar-as-a-service, you can implement an effective solution without a large, upfront cost.
