By Michael Watkins

After more than two decades in the radar and microwave engineering field, Eric Itcia still finds plenty of mystery in engineering. It's a profession that keeps him motivated to continue learning and exploring new ideas, while also considering options he previously hadn't envisioned.

Photo by Andrew Johnstone, Toulouse, France
Engineer of the Year — Rockwell Collins Senior Systems Engineer Eric Itcia received the 2007 Corporate Engineer of the Year Award for Government Systems. Itcia, who has been with our company for two years, is a native of Bayonne, France.

A native of Bayonne, France, Itcia discovered his passion for engineering while attending the University at Bordeaux, in an engineering school called ENSERB – Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Electronique et de Radioelectricite de Bordeaux. Although there were many things about pursuing an engineering career that caught his attention, he was especially interested in learning more about radio frequency and microwaves.

"At the time, 'waves' antennae seemed mysterious to me," recalled Itcia, a senior systems engineer who joined Rockwell Collins in September 2005. "I was curious to learn how they work."

Fast forward 22 years, and you will find Itcia working with The Netherlands Organization (TNO) for Applied Scientific Research to develop Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar technology.

His innovative direction for FMCW, coupled with his contributions to the Landing Gear Well Surveillance System (LGWSS), have opened new doors of opportunity for our company, and also have proved rewarding for Itcia on an individual basis.

During the annual Rockwell Collins Engineer of the Year awards ceremony held recently in San Francisco, Calif., Itcia joined peers Michael Guenigault and Norman Ovens as our corporate award winners.

"It's a great honor to be recognized among all of the talented Rockwell Collins engineers," said Itcia, who works at our facility in Blagnac, France. "In my work, innovation has to be focused on marketplace needs. My job is to fulfill these needs by innovative association of sensing and signal processing techniques, and applying these techniques into new applications."

Competitive differentiation

The technical relationships Itcia has built and nurtured over the years have resulted in submitted proposals that offer products with high levels of innovation, which help differentiate our company from our competition.

Like most radars, FMCW detects and classifies objects in its field of view in all weather and light conditions. According to Itcia, what makes this product unique is its ability to detect at short range – from one meter to a few kilometers – while radiating less power than a mobile phone. This allows operation in the presence of people and opens new fields of application such as anti-intrusion, perimeter security, automotive and obstacle detection. FMCW radar can be seen as a "microwave camera" able to depict scenery even in harsh conditions such as fog, dust clouds and heavy rains.

Because it requires low power to operate, this technology also is easily integrated into small packages, which makes it an ideal detection sensor for vehicles and helicopters.

"Eric's innovative approach to envision a radar-based solution in a semi-closed environment such as the landing gear bay of an aircraft for stowaway detection is most excellent," said Senior Engineering Manager Pierre-Olivier Besombes, who nominated Itcia for the award. "His innovation allowed our company to win a crucial program and also permits us to address a new market segment."

While Itcia is honored to have received our company's top engineering award, he is quick to share the recognition with his team.

"It's not only a reward for me, but also for our whole European engineering group," said Itcia. "I accepted this nomination and award on behalf of all international engineers. This proves that Rockwell Collins is a true international company – building its strength on the educational and cultural diversity of our engineers."