Northrop Grumman's Airport Surface Movement System certified for airport operations in China

Posted by Courtney E. Howard

OSLO, Norway, 15 Dec. 2011. Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, Northrop Grumman Corp.'s (NYSE:NOC) Europe-based air traffic management subsidiary, has received temporary certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its NOVA 9000 airport surface movement guidance and control system. Park Air Systems officials claim that the company is the first, and currently the only, supplier of Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems (A-SMGCS) to obtain this certification from the civil aviation authority in China.

Under CAAC regulations, all communication, navigation, and surveillance products serving the Chinese civil aviation market require certification as a compulsory prerequisite to site acceptance and operation at airports or en route.

"We congratulate Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems on this vital achievement and are honoured to award the company with the first CAAC Temporary Certificate," says Tian Zhencai, director of the Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance Department within the Air Traffic Management Division of the CAAC. "We trust that the company will continue to deliver top quality A-SMGCS systems thereby ensuring exceptional ground safety at Chinese airports."

As a key supplier of A-SMGCS in China, Park Air Systems has delivered NOVA 9000 systems to Beijing, Guangzhou and Macau airports. Additional delivery to Shenzhen airport is in progress. Since commencement of the application process in 2009, the company has carried out its activities in compliance with application procedures and CAAC requirements. As a result of successful installations and a thorough final evaluation, the company obtained the CAAC Temporary Certificate in Nov. 2011.

"China is a strategically important market which offers substantial potential for our future. This certification, along with our extensive installation of NORMARC navigation equipment around the country, strengthens our position in this dynamic marketplace. We are excited about the opportunity to continue supplying Chinese airports with the world's leading system for surveillance," says Eldar Hauge, managing director of Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems.

Northrop Grumman has air traffic management systems in operation in international markets and its 50-year legacy ranges from individual airport installations to countrywide, multiple-site turnkey integrated system solutions. The company's air traffic management systems are in use in numerous countries, including Norway, France, Switzerland, Egypt, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Oman, Israel, Canada, India, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, United Arab Emirates, U.S., and the U.K., in both civil and military applications.