What does Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) provide for air traffic control?

• A. Weather pattern detection around weather systems.
• B. A radar system designed to detect all principal features and traffic on the surface of an airport, presented on the control tower console to augment visual observation.
• C. A backup navigation database.
• D. A national security scan.

Answer: (B)

ASDE provides radar surveillance of the airport surface. It detects all major features and traffic on the surface—aircraft and ground vehicles—and presents their positions on the control tower console to augment what controllers can see visually. This helps controllers manage taxiing, runway crossings, and sequencing, especially in low visibility, by reducing the risk of runway incursions and ground-conflict surprises. It’s not used for detecting weather patterns, it isn’t a backup navigation database, and it isn’t a national security scan. In modern systems, ASDE data is often combined with additional sensors to give a clearer, more accurate picture of ground movements.