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The SRMD allowing the combined use of FMA and Fusion reached final approval on Nov. 1, and the notice allowing the operational start is now in place. Facilities that use FMA can now use Fusion on these positions as well. The change in procedure is not anticipated to require additional controller training as these facilities are already trained on both FMA and Fusion. Fusion on the FMA position, like all other positions, requires a thorough understanding of contingency plans should a radar sensor fail. MEARTS Fusion: 3nm Fusion in MEARTS is a complex undertaking requiring multiple Tower, Approach, and En route sectors to come online with Fusion at the same time. The lessons learned in this undertaking will help the effort with future MEARTS and ERAM sites. ZAN has been on Fusion since August 2015. HCF has been on Fusion since Aug. 1, 2017. A significant amount of support was provided the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 2 at ZUA (Guam CERAP). NATCA and SBS Ops Support conducted a kickoff at the facility, provided Air Traffic Cadre training, and conducted a multiday Operational Suitability Demonstration. ZUA Air Traffic feels confident they will transition to Fusion by the end of March 2018. A kickoff meeting and Air Traffic Cadre training session for San Juan (ZSU) are planned the first week of April. Surveillance Portfolio Analysis Work Group Eric Labardini and James Keith (NATCA AJV-7) have been working closely with the Agency's multifaceted analysis of post-2020 radar infrastructure needs. The ADS-B business case was built on an assumption that today's robust radar infrastructure could be reduced once ADS-B becomes the predominant surveillance source. The Agency built their business case on an assumption that 100+ secondary radar sources could be removed throughout the NAS. This causes concern in airspace that does not require ADS-B (many Class D or other Approach Controls). NATCA has been pointing toward another option, removing overlapping radar sources completely rather than harming operational capabilities nationwide. There seems to be an awakening to this idea and analysis of the benefits is underway. An SRM Panel was held August 1-3 to analyze the risks associated with partial or complete removal of radar systems in a post-2020 environment. The conclusions of the Panel were that partial removal actually resulted in higher risks than complete removal. This assumes that complete removal would only occur where the effects were minimized by other overlapping radar sources nearby. Terminal Fusion: The Fusion Focus Group continues to track and resolve facility reported issues with Fusion. These are largely issues with the underlying surveillance infrastructure, and experts from all fields are available to assist. Please report any issues to your OSF and our NATCA SBS group for assistance. It is critical that actual data is recorded for evaluation and resolution.

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