In September 2021, the Air National Guard awarded Global Data Specialists a firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade the encryption on the PAACS aircraft arresting controls at 19 bases in 18 states. GDS was the prime contractor and completed the upgrades at all 19 bases. The statement of work was written by the National Guard Bureau's civil engineering technical center.
Three Upgrade Paths
Each base received the work its installed equipment called for. Eight bases already had radios that met the Air Force's spectrum requirements and needed only new security-enabled ACE3600 CPUs: Alpena, Atlantic City, Barnes, Duluth, Fresno, Kingsley Field, McEntire and Toledo.
Seven bases needed new CPUs and new Motorola APX radios: Buckley, Burlington, Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, Portland, Savannah, Truax Field and Tulsa. Four bases were still running Motorola MOSCAD controllers and were converted to ACE3600: Ellington Field, Gulfport, Jacksonville and Sioux City.
In all, the contract covered 45 barrier systems, 146 encrypted CPUs and 88 radios.
What a MOSCAD Conversion Involves
At the four MOSCAD bases, the new controllers couldn't reuse the old installation. The contract called for replacing the system components at each station: the wiring harnesses in the pits, tower, shop and fire station, the antennas, and the air-quality, water and fire sensors in each barrier pit.
Testing and Acceptance
Before acceptance, the contract required three raise-and-lower cycles from the tower at each control location, plus a network drawing, an equipment inventory and training for base personnel. Work at each base was scheduled to take no more than five working days.
Discuss Your Aircraft Arresting Controls
Contact GDS about PAACS encryption, a MOSCAD conversion, a new barrier, or support for an installed system.