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CSC expands into commercial realm
CSC’s extensive experience with government agencies led to the company’s first commercial IT outsourcing agreement in 1991 and the largest outsourcing deal of its time, a 10-year, $3 billion agreement with General Dynamics (GD).
In the years that followed, CSC was able to build upon its newfound talent base to support other commercial aerospace clients. These clients include Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Sikorsky, Hamilton Sunstrand, Boeing, BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace), Rolls Royce, SAAB Combitech, AAS, Textron, United Launch Alliance, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and Spirit Aerosystems Holding Systems Inc.
Industry faces new challenges
After a brief slump in the years following 2001 as a consequence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the aviation industry worldwide found itself challenged by an escalating demand for better capacity, efficiency, safety and environmental mitigation in the face of explosive growth in air traffic. CSC has been helping the FAA respond to these challenges by developing and deploying automation systems that help controllers efficiently cope with the increased traffic.
One such system is the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA). In use at all major U.S. air traffic hubs, TMA establishes a landing sequence through time-based metering, thereby helping controllers fully utilize all available slots for aircraft arriving at major, busy airports. The system has resulted in savings running into millions of dollars through increased fuel efficiencies, reduced emissions and enhanced on-time arrivals.
CSC is also working with the FAA to develop and install a new Traffic Flow Management (TFM) system that will provide strategic scheduling and dynamic flow re-routing throughout the nation’s airspace. The new system will use dynamic, service-oriented architecture so improvements and enhancements can be quickly and easily implemented in response to growing traffic demands. This system will replace the current traffic flow management system, which CSC also helped develop and has maintained since 1978.
In meeting all these demands, CSC draws upon its 35-year legacy of supporting the FAA in both tactical and strategic air traffic management.
NASA looks toward new frontiers
For NASA, the biggest challenge in the coming years is supporting the vision for space exploration and ensuring the success of the agency’s new space program, called Constellation.
At the end of 2010, the Space Shuttle will be retired, and NASA will be focused solely on Constellation. Constellation has three major components, the Orion Crew Vehicle, the Areas Launch Vehicles, and the Altair Lunar Lander. The new program is using a number of elements from the Apollo program, including rocket boosters and crew capsules (although in a modernized, state-of-the-art package) with the primary goals of getting humans back to the moon, continuing to interface with the International Space Station, and finally, taking humans to Mars.
As NASA embarks on this critical mission, the agency is refocusing its current capabilities and workforce, initiating complex engineering and development projects, and looking for opportunities agencywide to maximize efficiency and collaboration in order to ensure Constellation is successful.
In response to this pressure, CSC is supporting numerous efforts to realign capabilities, increase collaboration and reduce costs across all NASA centers.
CSC poised to meet future client needs
Other government agencies also are changing their business structures to reduce costs and improve efficiency. For example, civil and defense agencies are turning increasingly to private contractors to handle certain functions. CSC management perceived this trend and has broadened our Public Sector offering and solutions in response, with strong managed services, logistics and IT infrastructure solutions that are of direct relevance to the aerospace and defense industry.
This is just one example of the company adapting to meet the evolving needs of its aerospace clients. "CSC has been very fortunate to be able to participate in some of the most important aerospace programs in history,” says Mike Laphen, CSC’s president and chief operating officer. “With our considerable experience and expertise, we look forward to seeing what the future brings — and being there to help produce operational and financial results for our clients."
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Photo credit:
Photo of Eurofighter Typhoon courtesy of BAE Systems