ATC
FAA awards first Nexcom contracts
The FAA has awarded contracts to Rockwell Collins, Honeywell and Avidyne for development of technology that will integrate digital voice and data into air-

The FAA has awarded contracts to Rockwell Collins, Honeywell and Avidyne for development of technology that will integrate digital voice and data into air-to-ground communications as part of the next-generation air/ground communications (Nexcom) program.

Under terms of the agreements  signed in February, the FAA will partially fund the development of VHF datalink mode 3 (VDL-3) radios, which are intended to replace current-generation radios with Nexcom avionics in time for the program’s initial implementation in 2009. Rockwell Collins and Honeywell are to design analog/digital VDL-3 avionics for the commercial airline market and Avidyne a line of radios for general aviation.