Folks,
It only took 5 years to fight WWII??
And what will come out of the end of this $$$$ and time eating process ---- based on past performance, an Australia unique system that doesn't work.
At least TAAAAATS was essentially an "off the shelf" system,Eurocat, but remember the predecessors ---- I remember ---- the home built lashup that always lost a B747 in the Epping hold, but did a great job of tracking trucks on the Geelong road.
Tootle pip!!
Air traffic struggles to end waste
THE plan to save $300 million by merging civil and military air traffic control systems has become mired in red tape, with up to $50m of taxpayer funds being spent in the past four years just to reach the tender stage.
The government's air traffic control manager, Airservices Australia, admits progress has been slower than expected for the plan that has been mooted for more than a decade but was formalised by the Rudd government in 2009.
Known as ATC Future Systems, the plan aims to create a unified national air traffic control system for the first time, ending the wasteful separation between the military and civil systems.
It was planned that the unified system ultimately would save more than $300m, but so far it has only cost money as Airservices and Defence stumble over the complexity of the merger. Under the present system, air force air traffic controllers direct military aircraft while civilian controllers direct commercial aircraft, sometimes from the same airport.
The Australian understands that in the four years since the merger project began, about $50m has already been spent on it, directly and indirectly, with more than 100 people working on it.
Airservices disputes the $50m figure but admits that almost $30m has been spent. Despite this expenditure, the project was put out for tender only on June 28, four years after its inception.
"While substantial progress has been made to define the requirements of a harmonised solution, progress has been slower than expected due to the complexities of the program," an Airservices spokesman said.
"A program of this magnitude takes time to specify all the detail.
"Replacing the nation's air traffic management system requires prudent and detailed planning. The new system will need to safely manage the significant growth in air traffic that will occur over the next 20 years."
Airservices declined to say whether the project was already over budget, saying only that the budget would be reviewed once tenders had been received.
Insiders have told The Australian that the project has been conspicuous for its lack of achievement so far and that it is proceeding at a snail's pace.
Airservices says contracts are expected to be awarded in 2015 with the merged system finally becoming operational in 2020. The plan to merge the civil and military air traffic control systems has been mooted for more than a decade but previously has fallen victim to bureaucratic infighting.
In 2002, a document signed by former chief of defence force Angus Houston stated: "Australia simply cannot justify, sustain or afford to continue operating two almost identical air traffic management systems."
Civil and military systems are merged in many countries such as Germany and Britain.
In 2005, Airservices and the RAAF set up a project called Genesis to merge the two systems but the program stagnated because of Defence's reservations. At that time, Defence feared it would lose tactical and strategic control of its aircraft in times of crisis -- one of the reasons the military system historically has been isolated from the civil system.
The impetus to finally merge the system has been the fact Defence's air traffic system is ageing and will need replacing, so it was considered the right time to integrate it with the civil system.
Airservices maintains that the money spent so far on the project has not been wasted. "Expenditure has covered such things as staffing, research and development, document production, specification production, legal and commercial advice and external reviews," the spokesman said.