Harris Corporation awarded contract with a potential value of $56.7 million by FAA

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a potential 42-month, $56.7 million follow-on contract by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to upgrade and manage the system that currently provides real-time weather data and flight-planning capabilities supporting Alaska’s general aviation community. The award consists of a one-year base contract, a one-year option, and three six-month options through December 2014.

Under the Operational and Supportability Implementation System (OASIS) program, Harris will provide integrated flight planning and real-time weather briefing capabilities to FAA Flight Service specialists. OASIS also supports “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) messages — which alert pilots to potential hazards, as well as up-to-date radar and satellite imagery. As part of the contract, Harris will upgrade hardware and software for the OASIS flight service automation system, and will provide system test and maintenance support services.

The OASIS system, which first went online in 2007, is operational at 18 sites in Alaska and is installed at four support sites in the continental U.S.

“OASIS is critical to ensuring the safety of general aviation aircraft operating in the challenging weather conditions and remote mountainous terrain of Alaska,” said John O’Sullivan, vice president, Harris Mission Critical Networks. “As a managed service, OASIS ensures low-risk, cost-effective modernization of the FAA’s technology infrastructure in Alaska and leverages the experience we have gained from other programs, including the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program.”

Harris has a long history of developing and integrating system solutions for the FAA in support of the National Airspace System (NAS). The company is the prime contractor for the FTI program, which is providing improved network security and communications services to more than 4,000 FAA facilities nationwide. In addition to FTI and OASIS, other FAA programs developed by Harris include:

• Weather and Radar Processor (WARP), which provides weather information to air traffic controllers in the en-route air traffic control environment;
• Voice Switching and Control System (VSCS), which provides the critical air-to-ground communications links between en-route aircraft and air traffic controllers throughout the continental U.S.; and
• Alaskan NAS Inter-facility Communications System (ANICS), which provides satellite-based communications for the NAS in Alaska.