Marconi Communications of Coventry has won a £29 million order as part of a comprehensive modernisation of the AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System) aircraft operated by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation).

The order, from The Boeing Company, Seattle, is to develop a new on-board system for the AWACS aircraft to enable it to interrogate targets and identify friends and foes-

Marconi Communications, which has developed world leadership in electronic identification technology, is teamed with the US Company Telephonics to develop a system which maximises commonality between the NATO and US fleets.

"The new system, known as Interrogator equipment, is designed to fit existing NATO AWACS aircraft without modification to their airframes, and will have interfaces similar to existing units. However, there will be major improvements in performance, reliability, maintainability and reduced life cycle costs,"

said Coventry-based Mike Parton, managing director of Marconi Communications.

Installation of the new Interrogator systems is expected to start in December as part of

NATO's Mid-Term Modernisation Programme for its AWACS fleet.

Marconi Communications is a world leader in smart broadband transmission and network integration. It was formed by the merger of GPT Limited, Marconi SpA, GEC Hong Kong and other businesses wholly owned by GEC, a global manufacturer of intelligent electronic systems.