Harris Corporation Equips Busy NATO Air Base with New Air Traffic Control Communications System

Kandahar Airfield has become a prominent base for many NATO armed forces flying in and out of the theatre, including forces from the U.S. and Canada. Due to increased air traffic volumes in the region, improving air traffic safety at the Kandahar Airfield was deemed a top priority. A recent surge in the troubled southeast region of Afghanistan pushed NATO aircraft operations to 5,000 flights per week making it the busiest, single-runway airport in the world. The Liberty-STAR voice communication and control system (VCCS) provides a reliable, scalable solution that enables air-to-ground and ground-to-ground digital services to satisfy the full range of air traffic control capabilities required by NATO forces. "Over the years, Harris has built its reputation for providing large-scale communications that must work," said John O'Sullivan, vice president of Mission Critical Networks for Harris Corporation. "NATO's operations in Afghanistan are some of the most perilous in the world. They're counting on us to supply their essential communications and this says a lot about the trust they have in us." For this Liberty-STAR VCCS, Harris provided nine touch-screen operator positions, 24 radio interfaces and 18 telephone interfaces. Harris delivered, installed and integrated the communications system, which included operation and maintenance training for NATO controllers and technical staff. The prime contractor for Liberty-STAR VCCS is Thales ATM of France.