State Meteorological Agency of Spain to take delivery of 18 weather radars

Vaisala has won a tender to provide a new weather radar system to the Spanish State Meteorological Agency - an organisation under the auspices of Spain’s Ministry of Environment. The value of the project is close to €25 million, breaking the record for Vaisala’s largest single order in the company’s illustrious history.

The contract will include the purchase of 18 Vaisala WRM200 dual-polarisation C-band weather radars, all of which will be installed by the end of 2026, as well as a comprehensive maintenance and service agreement terminating in 2026. The Spanish State Meteorological Agency has an option to take delivery of two WRS300 weather radars, introducing to the European market Vaisala’s state-of-the-art semiconductor transmitter technology. Vaisala developed the WRS300 to provide enhanced performance and reliability with lower life cycle costs.

Jarkko Sairanen, Vaisala’s Executive Vice President, Weather and Environment, commented, “I am very happy that our long-term collaboration with the Spanish State Meteorological Agency continues with these new weather radars. Earlier, we have already modernised the signal processors and IRIS™ weather radar software of the existing weather radar network, which will also be further updated within this contract. The new radars will be integrated into the European-wide OPERA weather radar network, enhancing weather forecasting quality not only for Spain but also across the broader European context. Accurate weather data provided by the radars will also improve the capability to predict extreme weather events such as hailstorms".

Vaisala’s dual-polarisation radars detect the various forms and intensities of precipitation precisely and efficiently. They can remove non-meteorological data, such as insects, from the dataset. The Finnish meteorological measurement experts provide solutions and weather data that help us to comprehend, mitigate, and adapt to climate change.