The FAA awarded contracts to ITT Industries, Inc., Ft. Wayne (IN), and Harris Corporation, Melbourne (FL), valued at $16 and $21 million, respectively, over a 20-month period for the initial phase of NEXCOM, the Next Generation Air/Ground Communications System.

NEXCOM will integrate data link with digital voice, make more efficient use of the available frequency spectrum, and support continued industry growth by accommodating additional air traffic control sectors and new runways. The existing air/ground communications system has been used for air traffic control for more than 50 years.

Analyses by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), RTCA, and the FAA have determined that a shortage of frequency spectrum will limit growth in aviation in about seven years. This initial phase of the program further develops a digital solution to the spectrum depletion problem.

Harris and ITT will produce a package that includes the architecture, equipment specifications, and supporting technical documents. They also will develop engineering design models of NEXCOM ground network systems and use them to demonstrate a specified set of NEXCOM capabilities.

FMI: www.faa.gov