Two Dubai airports to get updated air traffic control communications systems

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s U.K. subsidiary, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, is expanding the capabilities of air traffic control communications systems at Dubai International and Dubai World Central airports.

Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) will receive Park Air Sapphire products at five radio sites per airport. The new system will simultaneously support both legacy E1 and VoiP connectivity, enabling radio channels to connect to a network of controllers and the legacy voice switches at the airports.

The Park Air T6 radio, part of the Sapphire portfolio, will provide DANS with Simultaneous Call Transmission (SCT) detection. With SCT, the radio receiver can detect when two pilots speak at the same time and can send an alert to the air traffic controller.

"To develop a radio of such advanced capability is a credit to our engineers," Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems Managing Director Danny Milligan said. "The new Park Air T6 radio not only delivers a significant step forward in terms of performance, but also contributes to our environmental obligations. It is the lightest and smallest radio in its class, its power consumption has been minimized and toxic materials such as beryllia and lithium, which are traditionally required in radio designs, have been excluded."