Issued Initial Operational Capability By FAA

ITT Corporation announced Wednesday it has successfully deployed the Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) essential services system for southern Florida, achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

ADS-B is a key component of the FAA's much-bandied Next Generation Air Transportation System, intended to increase safety and efficiency to meet the growing needs of air transportation.

The essential services IOC milestone recognizes the availability of broadcast services of air traffic, as well as weather and aeronautical data information from 11 ADS-B ground stations in southern Florida. The stations are supported by processing from an ADS-B data center, radar data from FAA facilities, as well as a weather and aeronautical data feed from ITT team member WSI. Achieving IOC required the engineering, design, development, integration and test of system infrastructure by ITT and substantial independent test activity by the FAA.

"This milestone has been achieved in accordance with the FAA’s very aggressive schedule," said Mike Wilson, president of ITT’s Advanced Engineering and Sciences business. "Achieving IOC represents an important first step for the FAA’s NextGen program and is essential to the nation’s journey toward a modernized national airspace system. We are proud support the FAA’s outstanding ADS-B program team."

As ANN reported, ITT -- a leading US defense contractor, as well as the world's largest supplier of equipment to move and treat water and wastewater -- was awarded a $207 million initial contract by the FAA  to lead a team to develop and deploy the first phase of the ADS-B ground infrastructure.

When fully deployed throughout the United States in 2013, the ADS-B ground infrastructure system will enable very accurate aircraft position data to be presented to air traffic controllers and will provide dramatically enhanced aircraft situational awareness. This program will allow an increasing number of aircraft to maintain safe separation, conduct more precise airport approaches and departures, and execute operations key to accommodating increased levels of civil air traffic.

FMI: www.itt.com, www.faa.gov