In the avionics business, we seldom see renewed demand for old technology. Avionics capability remains status quo for long periods, suddenly advances in great strides, then plateaus again. But just a few years ago, we assumed the demand for airborne or ship’s weather radar was history, gone the way of ADF and 360-channel comms. Datalink weather radar is cheaper, works better and even offers the option of entertainment channels for a few bucks a month extra.

But hold on a second. The microwave-spewing front end of the typical light aircraft radar set can be a forever kind of thing. They were expensive to begin with, but with reasonable maintenance, they…