Russian air traffic commission states that foreign equipment is too expensive

Published: 9/20/1999

At its recent session, the Interdepartmental Commission dealing with Russian air space, addressed the issue of upgrading the present Russian air traffic control system. It concluded that the preference given by regional organisations and airlines' managers to foreign companies is unwarranted. The commission cited the example of a $77m contract, signed with Italian company, Alenia, for the delivery of equipment for one of the Samara region airports' ATC. According to the commission, the use of domestically produced equipment would have cost some $12-15m. It also referred to a $10m advance received by Marconi, for a contract that was cancelled by the FSVT, owing to Marconi's failure to meet the technical requirements of the project. In an interview with the Military News Agency (AVN), the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Anatoly Kornukov, said that the Russian air traffic control system had a strategic defence value and its use of foreign equipment undermined Russia's national security interests. The commission has called on the Russian government to cancel the international tender for the upgrade of the Russia's air traffic control system and to offer the contract to Russian enterprises only. According to Kornukov, domestic efforts in the field of automated control systems should make it possible within the next year to start modernising both main ATCs and zone ATCs.

Article ID: 881