Exelis to provide airfield monitoring solutions to Los Angeles International Airport

HERNDON, Va., 10 March 2015. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Calif., sought to enhance airport safety and efficiency. They found their solution at Exelis (NYSE:XLS), a provider of critical network systems, selecting the company’s airfield monitoring solutions.

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Exelis engineers will install the company’s suite of vehicle tracking and surveillance solutions to bring an added level of safety during regular and irregular operations, such as construction and weather events, and in critical situations, such as aircraft emergencies. The Exelis solutions provide a common airfield operating picture for air traffic controllers and key airfield operations staff for increased situational awareness and collaborative decision-making.

“LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world, and second busiest in the United States,” according to Jeff Mort, airfield manager, LAX Airport Operations. “LAX requires a system that can enhance airfield safety, collaboration, and management of irregular operations, especially during upcoming runway construction projects.”

“Exelis will provide LAX with our airfield tracking and surveillance solutions including Vehicle Movement Area Transponders (VMAT), Symphony MobileVue, and NextVue solutions,” affirms Ted Carniol, general manager of commercial aviation solutions at Exelis. “Both air traffic controllers and ground vehicle operators on the airfield can see a real-time depiction of their vehicle location in relation to aircraft and other vehicles operating around and on the LAX surface.”

The VMAT device permits ground vehicles operating on the airport surface to broadcast their position and a uniquely identifiable call sign. FAA air traffic controllers, airport personnel, and appropriately equipped aircraft can view and track the vehicles operating near the airport and on the airport surface. Seventy-five VMAT devices will be deployed on LAX operations, maintenance, and aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles.

Symphony MobileVue is a tablet- and smartphone-based, real-time situational awareness application that displays aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface as well as aircraft in the terminal area.

NextVue provides visualization of all flights in the national airspace system, along with operational monitoring, taxi delay alerts, diversion management, and management of irregular operations. Combined with trusted airline prediction models and collaborative decision-making functionalities, users can predict surface delays and proactively manage surface congestion.

Exelis is a diversified, top-tier global aerospace, defense, information, and services company that leverages a greater than 50-year legacy of deep customer knowledge and technical expertise to deliver affordable, mission-critical solutions for global customers. Exelis provides positioning and navigation, sensors, air traffic management solutions, image processing and distribution, communications and information systems; and is focused on strategic growth in the areas of critical networks, ISR and analytics, electronic warfare and composite aerostructures.