Indra Australia has received a contract to supply deployable air traffic management and control systems to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Under the terms of the $50m contract, the company will supply a total of two rapidly deployable and one larger air traffic management and control systems.

The new systems are expected to enable the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to use radar to control aircraft and manage airspace for missions within Australia and overseas.

Australian Defence Minister David Johnston said: "Recent global events have seen Australia’s air capabilities come to the fore to assist our friends and allies, with the search for MH370, Operation Bring Them Home and in support of the international efforts in Iraq.

"These deployable air traffic control systems will enhance the RAAF’s future operations both overseas and domestically.

"This acquisition will assist the ADF in managing airspace during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, as well as deployed combat operations, either independently or integrated with our allies."

According to Johnston, the contract would provide significant employment opportunities for the Australian industry during the integration and through-life support phases of the project.

The defence minister, however, did not disclose the contract’s delivery schedule.

Indra is already under contract with the Australian Department of Defence for the supply of new tactical communication routers (TCR) for RAAF’s airspace controller teams by the year-end.

Awarded in October 2012, the contract requires the company to supply up to six ruggedised, encrypted red/black TCRs, which will provide interoperability and connectivity to existing ADF communications infrastructure, as well as tactical ground-ground and air-ground-air voice communications networks.

This article was first published on the Strategic Defence Intelligence website. For more information, please click here.