Army mobile ATC tower systems to be provided by Sierra Nevada
NewsMarch 16, 2012
SPARKS, Nev. U.S. Army officials tasked engineers at Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) to produce ten Mobile Tower Systems (MOTS), and engineering and logistics services under a $56 million contract. AN/MSQ-135 MOTS is slated to replace the Army AN/TSW-7A Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower.
MOTS has the required secure and non-secure communications radios as well as support equipment. The modular system has an ATC Tower with organic 36kW power generators, meteorological sensors, and a medium intensity, solar-powered airfield runway lighting system.
The Sierra Nevada system consists of a mobile ATC tower with a solar powered airfield lighting system,” says Col. Anthony Potts, a project manager with Aviation Systems for the U.S. Army.
MOTS can fit aboard C-17 aircraft or CH47 helicopters and it also supports military ATC operations through networking with other Air Traffic Service and Battle Command systems.
The system meets Federal Aviation Administration/International Civilian Aviation Organization (FAA/ICAO) regulations, and also can support civilian applications such as disaster relief, forest fire mobile operations, as well as temporary tower operations worldwide.
