FAIRFAX, Va., 6 Jan 2010. Era a.s., a subsidiary of SRA International, Inc. (NYSE:SRX), announced that Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide has selected Era to supply 228 of its latest-generation Squid) vehicle tracking units at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). The Squid units will support the airport's advanced surface movement guidance and control system (A-SMGCS).
With more than 53.5 million passengers in 2008, Frankfurt Airport is Germany's busiest airport and ranks among the top 10 in the world. Due to the amount of ground movements, Fraport AG sought vehicle tracking units that could best provide air traffic controllers and Fraport's ramp control with complete surface situational awareness to enhance the safety and efficiency of ground operations at FRA.
Era's Squid units are standards-compliant ADS-B transponders that are easily mounted on top of airport vehicles. The units constantly and automatically transmit vehicle locations and identification to air traffic controllers, ensuring that a complete picture of all aircraft and vehicles is available to controllers at all times--in all visibility and weather conditions. The latest generation Squid features a new area management function that allows users to define boundaries in and around an airport where the units will automatically turn on and off transmissions. This allows for busy airports to limit the amount of non-essential surface transmissions.
"Fraport AG is renowned for its excellent safety and innovative leading-edge technology. Working together, we will help them to join several airports worldwide -- realizing the benefit that our vehicle tracking units provide," says Bernard Asare, Era Systems Corp. vice president. "Squid units are unique in that they work seamlessly with any vendor's A-SMGCS."
Era a.s. provides next-generation air traffic management tools that address core challenges like safety, efficiency, profitability and functionality. Its innovative use of proven next-generation technologies, like multilateration and ADS-B, help air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airport operators ease capacity constraints; enhance safety, improve airspace and ground space efficiencies; and reduce costs.
