NASA has awarded global Air Traffic Control and IFF leader, Telephonics Corporation, with a $2.2 million contract for the replacement/upgrade of its existing Airport Surveillance Radar-8 (ASR-8) Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) systems at its Wallops Island Flight Center. The award includes dual All-Mode, AIMS certified, AN/UPX-44 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator, Passive Detection and Reporting System (PDRS), and Common Terminal Digitizer (CTD).
Through this award, NASA will replace its existing IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) interrogator system with technology that preserves current capabilities and expands on supported modes, which will now include Mode 5, Mode S and full-range Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The CTD, which is being installed at all 34 existing ASR-8 radar sites currently utilized in the national airspace, will improve radar performance by enhancing digital weather processing and small target detection, while also extending service life. Full installation is expected to be completed by late 2019.
Telephonics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation, is recognized globally as a leading provider of highly sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and communications solutions that are deployed across a wide range of land, sea and air applications. It designs, develops, manufactures and provides logistical support and lifecycle sustainment services to defense, aerospace and commercial customers worldwide. By digitizing analog signals from current surveillance systems, Telephonic’s state-of-the-art CTD also supports the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) and NASA's efforts to elevate the safety of US commercial airspace in a cost-effective and technologically sophisticated manner.
