London's Heathrow gets Northrop communications upgrade

Northrop Grumman' U.K.-based air traffic management subsidiary, Park Air Systems, have completed a total overhaul of the ground-to-air radio communication system at Heathrow Airport for the National Air Traffic Services (NATS).

This is the first of several planned replacement programmes at U.K. airports. The Park Air Sapphire system is now live and supports main, standby and emergency operations supplying reliable, safe and clear communications between pilots and air traffic control staff at the U.K.’s busiest airport. The Park Air Sapphire system at Heathrow also includes MARC Server, a configurable browser-based control and monitoring system allowing management of all the Sapphire assets from remote desktops or tablets. Iain Harris, NATS director of Service Operations said, “This is a very important programme for NATS, and we are delighted that London’s Heathrow Airport is to be the first Park Air Sapphire replacement programme in the U.K.” Danny Milligan, managing director, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, added, “We have enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with NATS for many years and are very happy they chose us to support them with such a major programme. We look forward to seeing the Park Air Sapphire system in use at this airport."

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