To enhance safety and expedite aircraft traffic control at airports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in the process of developing automation aids for controllers and pilots. These automation improvements depend on reliable surveillance of the airport traffic, in the form of computerized target reports for all aircraft. One means of surveillance of the airport is primary radar. A short range radar of this type is called airport surface detection equipment or (ASDE). Lincoln Laboratory is participating in this development program by testing a system of surveillance and automation aids at Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass. This work is sponsored by the FAA. This paper describes the radar equipment being used for surface surveillance at Logan Airport and the characteristics of the radar images it produces. Techniques for automatic tracking of this radar data are also described along with a summary of the tracking performance that has been achieved. Two companion papers in this session relate to this same radar surveillance and provide more in-depth descriptions of the radar processing.