10 Oct 02. Avaya Inc. (NYSE: AV – News), a leading global provider of communications networks for businesses and government, today announced that it has completed a $2.1m communications network for the U.S. Air Force 1st Fighter Wing Command Post at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
Based on Avaya’s DEFINITY(R) Enterprise Communications Server (ECS)-part of the company’s portfolio of Enterprise Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS)-the new network links voice communications for the 1st Fighter Wing Command Post with an air-to-ground radio network used for flight control. As a result, Air Force personnel can make calls and schedule conferences across the two systems, including contact with pilots who are in the air.
The network was purchased by Langley’s 1st Communications Squadron, which supports the new F-22 aircraft at Langley and provides critical communications services to the 1st Fighter Wing, Headquarters Air Combat Command, and the Aerospace Command and Control Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center.
Among the features of the new network is an emergency override capability called MultiLevel Precedence and Preemption (MLPP). MLPP responds to national security demands by ensuring that critical calls override other system traffic in times of emergency. The Avaya DEFINITY ECS was the first switch of its size to be certified by the Department of Defense’s Joint Interoperability Test Center at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. to meet MLPP requirements.
“Our objective is to provide the Air Force with a highly reliable solution that meets their needs today and offers an evolutionary path to Internet telephony, wireless and other technologies,” said Bob Fortna, president of Avaya’s Government Solutions business. “Avaya’s ECLIPS portfolio does exactly that, allowing the Air Force to blend circuit-switched and packet-based communications and to move to a fully converged network at their own pace.”
To support the mission-critical needs of the Air Force, Avaya’s DEFINITY server features a 99.999% reliability rate and is sized for 10,000 base users.
The installation and integration efforts at Langley were managed by Avaya Services, an organization of more than 10,000 Avaya employees who design, implement, manage and service both Avaya and multivendor networks worldwide. The Services team also managed the efforts of three subcontractors: Alpha Technology Group for infrastructure wiring; Compunetix for a touch-screen interface between Avaya’s communications server and the Air Force’s radio network; and Starcom for specialized cabinetry.