FAA awards ITT air traffic control contract

GPS World, Oct, 2007

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced August 30 that it has awarded ITT Corp. a $207 million initial contract leading a team to develop and deploy the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system.

ADS-B is a key component of the FAA's GPS satellite-based NextGen program intended to replace the nation's aging network of ground-based radar sites in the national air traffic control system. The new system as designed will be 10 times more accurate than radar, according to the FAA.

Under the initial three-year contract, ITT will be responsible for overall system integration and engineering, and under contract options will operate and maintain the system after deployment through September 2025, according to ITT. The contract has a potential value with all options exercised of $1.86 billion.

Essentially ITT will be required to build and operate the ADS-B ground stations, which it will own. The FAA will pay subscription charges for ADS-B broadcasts transmitted to properly equipped aircraft and air traffic control facilities. Under the terms of the contract, ITT will be required to have the system ready for use by 2010 and enable it to cover the entire nation by 2013.

The deployed ADS-B surveillance network is designed to provide more accurate and rapidly updating position data using GPS to determine aircraft position, according to ITT. ADS-B will give pilots graphical weather information, terrain maps and flight information, as well as precise location of aircraft to both pilots and controllers, which will result in airspace efficiency.