L3Harris Technologies said Wednesday it received an FAA contract to upgrade and continue operating the agency’s aircraft surveillance network through 2045. The system includes the ground infrastructure that receives ADS-B position reports from aircraft and sends surveillance data to FAA air traffic facilities.
ADS-B Ground Stations To Be Upgraded
According to L3Harris, the work will include upgrades to more than 700 ground stations across the country.
“L3Harris is propelling the FAA’s modernization vision forward by delivering an advanced surveillance infrastructure that will define the future of our airspace system and ensure increased safety for all air travelers,” Kathy Crandall, president of Mission Networks, Space & Mission Systems at L3Harris, said. “By expanding network capacity, we’re ensuring the United States remains the global leader in air traffic management.”
Network To Continue Through 2045
The company said the modernization effort will also add security measures for airspace data and expand surveillance capacity for newer aircraft and other entrants in the National Airspace System. The company currently operates a network that gathers data from thousands of sources and delivers it to hundreds of FAA and government facilities through a 24-hour network operations center.
L3Harris did not announce the value of the contract.
What about modernizing the thousands of GA aircraft that remain grounded or have no ADS-B because the owners can’t afford to replace a perfectly functional transponder with a very expensive ADS-B unit or add a second transponder? There should be a trade-in or upgrade program. No wonder we have such a huge pilot shortage when the FAA makes flying cost prohibitive.
Business is good these day for them, they just finished up the 400 million bridge Airforce One. Now onto the next Federally funded project. They are trading at a 5 year high.