Systems Provide Increased Situational Awareness For Military Aviators

The U.S. Navy has selected Harris Corporation for follow-on contracts totaling nearly $30 million to upgrade its Tactical Airborne Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC) Digital Map System. The TAMMAC Digital Map Computer provides military aircrews with sophisticated moving maps and other critical mission information via cockpit displays. The contracts bring the total value of the TAMMAC program for Harris to more than $140 million since 1997.

Under the contracts, Harris will deliver 14 pre-production digital map systems containing new Embedded Graphics Cards (EGC) that generate two independent, high-resolution digital map channels to enhance aircrews' situational awareness. The company also will supply 158 TAMMAC Digital Map Computers (DMCs) and 132 TAMMAC Digital Video Map Computers (DVMCs). Seventeen of the DVMCs will be provided to the Royal Australian Air Force.

In addition, Harris will demonstrate a Future Airborne Capabilities Environment (FACE) for a wide range of tactical aircraft as part of the contracts.

The TAMMAC DMC provides aircrews with a graphical presentation of the aircraft's current position, as well as the relative positions of targets, threats, terrain features, planned mission flight effectiveness and other critical information. The DMC's advanced mapping capabilities significantly increase mission effectiveness and ensure that flight crews are operating with the most sophisticated depiction of the battlefield available. The new DVMC version provides a 1024x1280 high-resolution digital moving map image channel.

"These follow-on contracts represent key milestones in this very successful, long-term program with the U.S. Navy and its international TAMMAC partners," said Pat Seamon, vice president, Avionics and Electronics Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems. "Harris has delivered more than 1,400 TAMMAC units to date, and are moving into new phases of graphics technology for this critical situational awareness capability used in such a wide variety of tactical aircraft worldwide."

FMI: www.navy.mil, www.harris.com