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Harris Team Completes Cutover of FAA's Legacy Satellite System to New FTI Network |
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2006/Satnews Daily/ — Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) announced on Monday the successful completion of the cutover of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) legacy satellite network, FAATSAT, to the new FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) satellite network, or FTI-SAT.
The FTI-SAT transition affected 85 earth stations and 200 satellite services and was completed on schedule in just over 12 months as part of the overall FTI program. Harris is the prime contractor and system architect for the FTI program that was awarded in 2002.
“The transition to FTI involved the deployment of 111 critical radar and voice telecommunications services and was accomplished in just over 12 months, on time and within budget,” said Steve Zaidman, vice president of Technical Operations for the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. “Total life cycle savings just from the new FTI satellite services through 2017 are projected to be more than $30 million, and we already are realizing operational efficiencies through the centralized management of our telecommunications enterprise.”
The transition to the new FTI-SAT network enables the FAA to utilize a combination of satellite-based communications, terrestrial microwave, and landline telecommunications technology to obtain a best-value solution. The Harris team has replaced legacy satellite equipment at remote FAA sites that support radar, weather data and air/ground communications. AMERICOM Government Services and Globecomm Systems, Inc. are teammates with Harris on the FTI-SAT effort.
“The complete cutover and activation of the new satellite services is a major milestone in the overall FTI program and provides the FAA with the best communications technology available for the best value,” said John O'Sullivan, FTI program vice president for the Harris Government Communications Systems Division.
“These services provide communications diversity at remote sites supporting critical air traffic control functions and are vital to the FAA's mission. In addition, FTI-SAT provides transportable units that can be rapidly deployed in the event of natural disasters or other emergency situations.”
During the 15-year FTI program, Harris will be upgrading and improving telecommunications and operations functions at more than 4,000 FAA facilities nationwide, providing the FAA with a secure, more efficient network that is expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the program. The projected $30 million in cost savings for FTI-SAT is in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars in savings expected to be realized by the base FTI program.
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