Grintek Aviation Systems, a subsidiary of defence electronics group Grintek, has been awarded a multimillion-rand contract by Botswana’s Department of Civil Aviation to upgrade its VHF communications network.
Announcing the award on Tuesday, Grintek Aviation said the contract includes the provision of two new sites, inclusive of all civil infrastructure and equipment, as well as the integration of seven existing communication sites to provide a fully integrated VHF communications network across the country’s air space.
The two new sites — at Hukuntsi in the Kalahari desert and Shakawe in the Okavango Delta — will be integrated into the existing system, which will be centralised at the Sir Seretse Khama International airport in Gaborone.
“The two new sites were selected to provide VHF coverage in areas where limited VHF communication was possible, which meant that aircraft flying in these areas were not assured of VHF communication for air-traffic control purposes,” said Len Collier, director of Grintek Aviation Systems.
“Once the project is complete, air traffic controllers based at Sir Seretse Khama will be able to communicate with any aircraft flying in the region.”
According to Collier, the project should be completed in August, which will see a marked improvement in Botswana’s VHF communication network, benefiting the pilots and air-traffic controllers in terms of efficiency and safe air-traffic control. — I-Net Bridge