Indra wins the main contract in the US to renew the ground-to-air communications system
After a competitive bidding process in which three companies participated, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Indra a contract worth a total of 244.3 million dollars, if all the options detailed in the contract are carried out, to renovate part of its ground-to-air communications system, key for air traffic management in the country, by replacing the analogue radio systems (UHF and VHF) with digital radio equipment that operates both in analogue and network (VoIP).
This contract positions Indra as the global leader in ATM radio communications, with almost 50% of the market share.
The company plans to manufacture 46,000 new radios at its facility in Overland Park, Kansas, where it will relocate production of its Park Air radio system for the United States. In addition to development, the contract includes production, testing and qualification of the devices for a period of 10 years.
Indra's digital radio systems are equipped with IP technology to enable voice and data communication over a secure network (VoIP), which facilitates the ground-to-air connection between pilots and controllers at US airports. In this way, Indra's technology will contribute to reinforce the safety, efficiency and durability of the country's air traffic control systems.
Adding capabilities to lead the sky
‘This contract is an endorsement of our growth strategy in the United States, which is part of our Leading the Future plan to expand our leadership in ATM on a global scale. The collaboration of our US subsidiary with Indra's UK radio centre of excellence ‘Park Air’, renowned for its leadership and extensive experience in the development of advanced communication systems, which will now have a new production centre in Kansas, has been fundamental to achieve this’, said Javier Ruano, general manager of Indra's Air Traffic Management (ATM) business.
With this project, Indra also strengthens its relationship with the FAA, which has recently included Indra's Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) technology in its list of quality products for surveillance and monitoring of surface aircraft and will be able to acquire it in any of the 450 airports with personnel in the control towers it manages.
In addition to the FAA, Indra has customers in the US market such as the US Air Force and the US Navy, as well as the FAA.
Globally, Indra has equipped more than 11,000 air traffic facilities around the world and is one of the few companies in the world with a portfolio of next-generation solutions capable of managing a flight door-to-door, from take-off to arrival at its destination. The company helps ensure the safety of 85% of passengers who take a flight every day, anywhere in the world, because its technology is behind those journeys at some point, making it one of the world leaders in the industry.