Raytheon to Bid for FAA Infrastructure Contract to Improve Communications, Security

Raytheon plans to compete for the Federal Aviation Administration’s new program to replace existing telecommunications with a new commercial infrastructure for improved communications and security.

It will bid for the FAA Enterprise Network Services Program later in 2019 and offer its expertise in enterprise networks integration, air traffic systems and cybersecurity, the company said Monday.

“The FAA’s next-generation system is much more than a telecommunications upgrade, and that’s reflected in the program’s name change and use of the term ‘enterprise network,’” said Nicole Gates, capture manager for Raytheon FENS program.

The FENS program will support National Airspace System services, including air and ground control audio transmissions and radar capabilities, as well as payroll and internet services.

Gates, who compared FAA’s current telecommunications structure to ‘one big ball of yarn’ where everything functions on a ‘point to point’ basis, talked about the FAA’s intentions concerning their future.

“The FAA is looking to move to more of a circle, where everything is integrated. That way you can talk to other air traffic applications more directly. Once you become connected like that, you can then apply the power of big data for better decision-making. It really opens the aperture a lot.”

FAA currently uses 26K telecommunications services daily, which come from 4K different locations.