Definition
A long-range air traffic control surveillance radar system used to track aircraft during the en route phase of flight, providing controllers with high-resolution position data over wide geographic areas between terminal airspace regions.
Plain English
A radar that air traffic controllers use to watch aircraft flying the long, cruising part of a trip — the stretch between leaving one airport area and arriving at another.
Context Anchor
Most often seen in FAA acronym lists or FAA notices describing the status of radar equipment that supports en route air traffic control.
Derivation
‘En route’ comes from French, meaning ‘on the way.’ ‘Broadband’ here refers to the radar’s ability to use a wide range of radio frequencies, which gives it sharper and more reliable returns than older narrowband systems.
Why Pilots Care
When you’re cruising between airports, this is the radar that controllers are using to see you, separate you from other traffic, and provide en route services.
Intuition Check
Do not read broadband here as passenger internet. In this term, it refers to the radar/data system supporting en route aircraft tracking.
Example Sentence 1
Once the flight leveled off at cruise altitude, it was tracked by ERAD as it crossed the center’s airspace.
Example Sentence 2
ERAD provided continuous radar coverage between the departure and arrival airports.