FAA awards Nexcom contracts
ITT, Harris to work on first phase of program to upgrade communications between pilots and controllers
The Federal Aviation Administration today awarded contracts to ITT Industries Inc. and Harris Corp. for the first phase of a program to upgrade communications between pilots and air traffic controllers.
The 20-month deals, valued at $16 million and $21 million, respectively, will enable the companies to develop solutions for the FAA's Next Generation Air/Ground Communications (Nexcom) effort. They will produce packages that include architecture, equipment specifications and supporting technical documents.
The agency launched the Nexcom initiative — set for implementation in the latter part of 2009 — in response to an increasing demand for space on a crowded radio spectrum. The existing system has been used to direct airplanes for more than 50 years.
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