Attachment 3 Radar Next Transforming the Nations Weather Radar Capability.pdf

Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | weather.gov

Radar Next:

Transforming the Nation’s Weather Radar Capability July 7, 2026 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Weather Service

U.S. Department of Commerce

Radar Next Industry Day Agenda

09:00 Registration Check In

10:00 Welcome and Introductions - MITRE, AGO

10:05 Opening Remarks - Taylor Jordan Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction

10:20 Opening Remarks - Ken Graham Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and Director, NWS

10:35 Radar Next Program Overview

11:00 Questions and Answers

11:30 Networking

Acquisition Ground Rules

Information for Planning Purposes Only The information shared today represents NOAA's current long-term strategic vision and market research. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment to issue a solicitation in the future. The Government is not legally bound to any timelines or acquisition strategies discussed.

Procurement Integrity & Firewalls To ensure a fair and open competitive environment, Government personnel cannot provide exclusive insights or discuss active, sensitive acquisition strategies.

No Endorsements or Procurement Decisions The networking session is designed to facilitate industry partnerships and market research. Interactions between NOAA personnel and industry representatives do not constitute an endorsement of any contractor, product, or service, nor will any procurement commitments be made during this time.

Equal Access to Information While this event is not tied to a specific procurement, NOAA is committed to transparency. To ensure a level playing field for any future requirements that may evolve from these broader mission areas, significant programmatic updates or Q&As from today's session will be compiled and made publicly available.

No Commitment of Funds Participation in today’s event is entirely voluntary. NOAA will not reimburse attendees for any costs associated with participation, travel, or documentation.

Opening Remarks

Taylor Jordan Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction

Opening Remarks

Ken Graham Assistant Administrator for Weather

Services and Director, NWS

NEXRAD Program: Current Operational Weather Radar

158 S-band Doppler weather radars jointly operated by

NWS, USAF, FAA

Most impactful NOAA observational asset

Supports: severe weather, flash floods, air traffic management

Supports the broader weather enterprise:

• Emergency Managers

• Media

• Commercial Weather Sector

• Academia

• General Public

WSR-88D KLIX 8/29/2021WSR-88D KLIX 8/29/2021 WSR-88D KGLDWSR-88D KGLDWSR-88D KLIX 8/29/2021 WSR-88D KGLD

Installed in the 1990s with a 20-year expected design life Continuously improved over the past 30 years to extend useful life to the 2030s

Annual Benefit of Current NEXRAD System (2024$)

NEXRAD Societal Benefit Study conducted by MITRE: https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/71986

$1.2 B $176 M $7.5 B* $8.9 B* Reduced fatalities and injuries from tornadoes, severe winds, and flash floods

Reduced fatalities, injuries, and aircraft damage from general aviation accidents

Reduced commercial aviation delay costs

Current total

*Range:

$3.8B-$9.8B;

Primary Estimate = $7.5B

*Range:

$5.2B-$11.2B;

Primary Estimate = $8.9B

> Improving Coverage:

Expand coverage for at-risk populations from weather threats

Radar Next - Program Goals

The Radar Next program will optimize the major acquisition around maintaining continuity of the weather radar observations

• Blue line projects drop in network availability due to parts failure / reliability; obsolescence; and repairability

• Could be accelerated by risks such as repair capability, staffing, supply chain and policy changes which would push this further left

System availability is projected to become unsustainable in early 2030s as critical parts fail simultaneously --other risk factors will accelerate this trend

Program Drivers also include:

> Improving Performance:

Faster update rates, data quality, & integration of new science

Radar Next - Network Vision

The Future Radar Network Will Include

S-Band Dish Radars

(federally owned)

Complementary C-Band Dish Radars

(commercial or federally owned)

Transportable PAR or Dish Radars

(commercial or federally owned)

Supplemental Commercial Data Buys

On-ramping of PAR Technology

(S-Band fixed) once matured and cost-effective (commercial or federally owned)

Number and Location of Radar Sites Still Being Worked

Industry Day will Inform Requirements, Acquisition Strategy

Radar Next - Gold Standard in Integrated Weather Intelligence

• Flexible & Scalable acquisition to add radars to fill gaps

• Expand commercial data buys to complement coverage

• Mobile/portable radars for resiliency

• Target high threat areas via the National Risk Index

• Integrate new science and improve data quality

Improve Coverage & Performance

Improve Coverage & Performance

• Leverage Cloud, Machine Learning, and AI to improve forecast, warnings, modeling and science

• Integrate data into Cloud AWIPS

• Integrate commercial radar data and other data types (satellite, aircraft)

Data IntegrationData Integration

• On-ramp new technology over time, including PAR

• High quality radar data assimilated into world class NWP

• Revolutionize warnings through integration into Warn-on-Forecast

• Leverage industry for cutting edge and novel technologies

• Spectrum interference mitigation

World Leader in Integrated Radar Capabilities

World Leader in Integrated Radar Capabilities

Radar Next

Program Roadmap

RFIs/Industry Days/BAAs

WE ARE HERE

Radar Next Program’s Notional Timeline

Note: These dates are notional and subject to change as Program evolves.

Planning

• Program Formulation

• Requirements

• Analysis of Alternatives

• CONOPS

• Acquisition Strategy

2023 - 2028

Design and Development

• Contract Award

• Design & Prototype

2028 - 2032

Production

• Production

• Initial Operational Capability

2032 - 2035

Deployment and Operations

• Achieve Full Operational Capability

• Ongoing Operations & Maintenance

2035 - Beyond

Acquisition Strategy Drivers

Schedule & Continuity Expedited awards to replace and maintain existing capabilities for long-term mission success.

Scalable Flexibility Adaptable performance within budget to manage deployment and sustainment uncertainties.

Enhanced Performance Exceeding baseline observation goals to reach high-level objective capability targets.

Technology Advancement Agile on-ramping of emerging technologies as they mature throughout the program lifecycle.

Drive Innovation Modernizing command & control architecture, integrate AI/ML, and data fusion; employ a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) for maintainability.

Leverage Commercial Capabilities Utilize commercial radar data to close gaps, and explore the marketplace for maintenance, logistics, and sustainment efficiencies.

FY28 FY30 FY32 FY34 FY36FY26

ONGOING

PRE-MS2

• C-Band Complementary Data Buys (FY28)

• MRMS and Visualization Development (FY27)

• Simulation Modeling Tool (FY27)

• Radar Site Analysis and Assessment (FY27)

• Independent Cost Estimate Support (FY27)

• PM, Engineering, and Science Support (Ongoing)

POST-MS2

• [Prime Mission Product] Government owned weather radar systems, System

Integration, and Innovation (FY29)

• Data Processing/Quality Control (FY29)

• Facilities Modernization (FY29 Est.)

• System Maintenance Support (FY33 Est.)

• Logistics Support (FY33 Est.)

Technology On-rampingFUTURE (SCHEDULE TBD)

MS2

Notional Acquisition Schedule of Major Systems/Services

MS3 MS4

X-band Supplemental Data Buys

Commercial Data Integration Plan

• Real-time Quality Control of all radar data (C-Band, X-Band, space-based, airborne):

– Agnostic of frequency, volume scan pattern, update rate

– Mitigate attenuation, clutter, interference, and calibration variance

– Artifacts due to radar geometry and variation in coverage, especially velocity data

– Evaluate grid spacing changes on data quality and develop blending solutions

• Quantify computational and archival costs

• Develop high resolution data integration, data refresh rates of 2 minutes or less

Objective:

Produce quality controlled, high resolution, mosaicked radar data delivered in real-time to the forecaster to enable accurate and timely watches and warnings

Research Areas for Investigation:

Partnering for Success: How Industry Can Help

Finalizing Radar Next Plans & Strategy

Validate marketplace capability to meet Radar Next requirements within the proposed schedule

Inform the acquisition strategy

Answer open technical questions regarding systems and data integration

Provide data to refine budgeting and independent cost estimates

Identify opportunities for technology on-ramping and innovation

Begin thinking about solutioning, any partnerships, and what else you (Industry) need to know for advance planning

Today’s Panel: Meet Our Team

Ajay Mehta, Director NWS Office of Systems

Jessica Schultz, Deputy Director NWS Radar Next

Mathew Grow, Director of Financial & Acquisition Management

NWS Radar Next

Randy Silver, Engineer NWS Radar Next

Jennifer Hildebrandt, Branch Chief NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office, Eastern Acquisition Division

Curtis Marshall, Director NWS Commercial

Observations Program