Harris Gets $150 Mln Worth Digital Data Communications Contract From FAA

(RTTNews) - Harris Corp. (HRS), a communications and information technology company, on Thursday said it has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin work on the seven-year, $150 million Data communications Network Services or DCNS element of its Data Communications Integrated Services or DCIS program.

Harris said its network will support digital data communications between controllers and flight crews.

The company noted that DCNS will help to transition U.S. air traffic control from primarily analog voice communications to digital data connectivity, which will significantly increase the efficiency and safety of the nation's air traffic control system.

Under the contract, Harris will provide the terrestrial circuits and very high frequency data links that connect ground-based air traffic controllers and airborne flight crews, helping them to communicate more effectively by supplementing traditional voice communications with data.

It is expected that the enhanced procedures will save fuel, reduce flight times, and increase air traffic capacity.

Harris said the DCNS tasks will be performed under the $331 million Data Communications Integrated Services contract, which was awarded to Harris in September 2012.

The company's FAA Data Communications contracts now total $481 million.