MDA to continue support for USAF's flight path safety system

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has secured a contract to continue provision of operational support for the US Air Force’s (USAF) high-precision flight path safety system.

The $4.9m award forms part of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) agreement signed between the company and the air force to support the air force terminal instrument procedures replacement (AFTERPS-R) system in February 2012.

Apart from operational support, the latest contract also covers enhancements that are designed to evolve system capability in the support of aircraft fitted with both ground-based and satellite-based navigation equipment.

The existing flight path safety system focuses on the design of flight paths for aircraft fitted only with ground-based navigation equipment.

"The contract brings the total value of task orders awarded to-date by the air force under the IDIQ agreement to approximately $13.8m."

The contract brings the total value of task orders awarded to-date by the air force under the IDIQ agreement to approximately $13.8m.

Designed and developed by MDA Information Systems, the AFTERPS-R assists in development of a safe flight path corridor by ingesting digital terrain, obstruction and aeronautical data to build and display a virtual model of the physical environment surrounding an airport.

The system automatically assesses the complex rules governing the design of procedures and also flag deviations from the rules that result from the physical environment, which are noted by the designers to quickly make modifications to the procedures.

In addition to this, the system helps procedure design specialists to ensure that all aircraft remain safely clear of obstacles and obstructions, irrespective of the type of approach they are flying.

Delivered in 2004, the system is currently deployed to more than 190 end-users across all USAF major commands.