Huge FAA ADS-B Contract Awarded to ITT

During a press conference this afternoon, soon-to-be-acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell and Vincent Capezzuto, the agency’s surveillance and broadcast services program manager, announced that ITT has been awarded the $1.8 billion contract (including options) to develop automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). Sturgell said ITT’s proposal, which beat out those submitted by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, represented “the best value and least risk.” The contract spans an 18-year period. According to the FAA, ADS-B is a “crucial component” of the next-generation air transportation system. In short, ADS-B is designed to improve the safety, capacity and efficiency of the National Airspace System while providing a flexible, expandable platform to accommodate future air traffic growth. When properly equipped with ADS-B, both pilots and controllers will see the same real-time displays of air traffic. The system will also give pilots access to weather services, terrain maps and flight information services.