FAA extends Harris weather and radar processor work

Harris Corp. has won a six-month, $5.7 million contract extension from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide additional services for the Weather and Radar Processor program, the company announced today.

Under the contract extension, Harris of Melbourne, Fla., will continue to support the Weather and Radar Processor system that has been running for two years.

Harris originally was hired for to develop, install and support systems at 21 Air Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide, the Air Traffic Control System Command Center and the William J. Hughes Technical Center.

FAA personnel at the command center use the system to view real-time, graphical weather data. The Weather and Radar Processor system provides weather data directly to the controllers' displays, replacing the more cumbersome, alphanumeric data displays used previously.

Harris provides the hardware and software to collect the weather data as well as the ability to display it in an easy-to-view format for air controllers. The award brings the total value of the program for Harris to more than $131 million since 1996.

Harris offers communications products for government and commercial customers. It has more than 10,900 employees and annual sales of $2.5 billion. The company ranks No. 16 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list, which measures federal contracting revenue.